Sinei stories
by SilverSnowflake9798
Summary: Just a bunch of Sinei short story ideas. Why not? I got bored. SinbadxHakuei
1. Chapter 1 The Cop and The Criminal

**No disrespect to other ships or characters intended in any story. I like this ship, but I've got nothing against any others. Oh, by the way, I'm open to requests for short stories I could put in this collection.(Nothing M or highly T rated) I just started a creative writing class, and I need the practice. I may not be able to do everyone's request with workload and all, but if I can I will.**

Chapter 1. The cop and the criminal

Hakuei sprinted down the alley, the sound of hammering rain overwhelming her. Her feet ached, and in the back of her mind she wondered if she'd make it. The thundering of her heart along with her panting were the only sounds to remind her that she was still alive. Without it, she would have forgotten. Others said they felt alive when they were in the middle of a chase. Hakuei didn't agree. In order to catch a criminal, Hakuei had to shut herself off. Turn off all emotion and signs of humanity so she could focus on finding them. If she didn't, she may realize how afraid she was of failing. That was something she just couldn't risk on the job.

The sound of her footsteps pounding on the ground became the sound of water splashing to the side as she slid to make a sharp turn. To the left she went, as the turn slowed her down for just a fraction of a moment as she dashed to catch up to her enemy. "Stop!" She commanded, losing her breath for an instant as she continued running. "Stop! Halt!" The enemy who ran far ahead of her who was able to keep the distance with much less effort laughed at her commands. It was all a game to him. They both knew it.

It aggravated her to no end. This game that he loved to play. Just a few years ago, Hakuei had been an ordinary cop. She'd catch a few speeders, find out who murdered who, help gather suspects for cases and solved the political questions. Crazy as it may sound, she found it peaceful. The jobs were hard, both emotionally and physically. But they were easy, quick cases to solve. She felt like she was truly helping other, that she was part of a team. But then one day, he decided to come to her town. And had decided, on a whim, to ruin her simple life.

* * *

When she'd first heard about him, it had been when he'd broken into Miss Mira Artemina's palace. She was an owner of a trading company, commonly known for having a high number of women in power. They'd gotten the call or a burglary around 12 at night, right before Hakuei would have gotten the night off. What bad luck. She and Seisyun had driven up to her mansion, their backup Bator and Dorji on their way. The door had been open, so they'd gone with the stealthy approach. Seisyun had went to through the main floor while Hakuei had gone to the top floor. As she went through the rooms, she'd been expecting to find the thief in the office, but that wasn't where she'd found him. Instead she found him in the bedroom on top of a very enthusiastic woman. Hakuei'd been thankful she'd gotten their before they'd taken their clothes off.

"Freeze!" She'd ordered, whipping out her gun and aiming it with two hands. The man on top had barely reacted, but the woman underneath him had gasped and jumped to her feet. Later she'd found out the woman was actually a servant of Mira's. According to her testimony, she'd been walking around innocently unaware there had been an enemy in the house. When asked about what Hakuei had seen, the woman had blushed and said 'it was all such a shock she really couldn't remember.' Judging from the way she'd been smiling, Hakuei had doubted it. Mira likely wasn't too happy about the story either.

Back to the robbery, the stranger had gotten to his feet, seemingly confident despite the gun trained at him. He kept his eyes trained on her as he took a few cautious steps around. "Freeze," Hakuei had repeated, taking a step forward. "That means don't move." The man had raised his eyebrows, a smirk growing on his face.

He wasn't like the usual criminals she was used to catching. Normally it was a group of teenagers trying to have some fun, or a big crook dressed in black hunched over with an ugly face. The enemy in front of her was neither of those things. He wore a white button up shirt that somehow looked like it had been freshly cleaned, except for a few of the top buttons that were missing. He wore a pair of black pants that were also tidy, the brown laced boots with specks of mud the only real evidence he'd broken in anywhere. Oh, that and the backpack Hakuei noticed in the corner stuffed with various riches. Purple hair longer than hers was tied behind his back. Normally Hakuei didn't like men with long hair, but it worked on him somehow. Tanned skin showed that he was no stranger to the sun. More than that, the golden eyes surprised her. She'd never met someone with gold eyes. Perhaps that was why he was a thief. All he could see was gold.

With those golden eyes he'd sized her up quickly. "So this is the kind of treatment I get in this city," He observed, not looking at all displeased. "I could get used to it." Hakuei hadn't smiled.

"Get down on your knees. You are under arrest."

"Oh, no I'm not." The man disagreed, slipping his hands into his pockets casually. "But it's cute that you think so. What's your name love?" Hakuei didn't respond, annoyed by his arrogance and refusal to cooperate. He was trapped, he must have known that. She was the one carrying the gun, blocking the only exit other than the window. And the floor they were on was far too high off the ground for any sane person to even consider it.

Oh the other hand, she wasn't too confident in his sanity to begin with. "If anyone's going to be asking the questions here, it will be me."

"Bossy," Sinbad whistled, not even an ounce of fear shown at the gun. "You've got a bit of attitude in there, don't you? How exciting."

"Get down on the ground!" Hakuei had repeated, louder that time.

The stranger hadn't complied. Instead he took a careful step closer, testing to see if she'd really use the gun. Hakuei held it higher, keeping it aimed at his head. But she didn't really want to shoot. He seemed like a jerk, but was that really cause for death? Perhaps she'd keep it aimed there, but if it got too bad she'd only shoot his leg. "My name is Sinbad," He offered, a twinkle in his eye as he said it. "But you may call me Sin. Again, what's your name love?"

Hakuei's patience was wearing thin. "I don't care about your name, and you don't get to hear mine. Do you not see the gun I am holding?" For yet another time, he didn't react. Instead his eyes trailed down, looking for something. When he'd found it, he'd grinned.

"Miss Hakuei Ren," He's murmured, sounding out each word slowly with feeling. "Miss? I hope that's not an error."

Before he could continue, Hakuei fired a warning shot. It went right past his ear, straight into the window behind them. The woman hiding in the corner screamed and fell to her knees. Hakuei didn't flinch, her eyes trained on him like a hunter approaching its prey. "I will not ask you again. Get. On. The. Ground."

He hadn't. His eyes had widened at her attack, and he'd lifted his hand to brush his ear in surprise. Just a small bit had been knocked off, only a trickle of blood coming down his ear. But when his eyes met hers again, he didn't look frightened. Not even close. Instead he looked intrigued. "Hakuei…" he whispered, speaking the word as if he was trying to memorize it. "You are quite the interesting person. No other cop I'd met was willing to risk shooting me to get my attention. I must say, I'm impressed." Hakuei hadn't taken the complement, re-aiming her gun at him. It bothered her when he said 'no other cop.' was it not his first time being arrested? From the way he acted, she wondered if he'd ever been caught.

"What is wrong with you," Hakuei demanded, taking a step closer so the gun was almost touching him. "Do you have a death wish or something?"

"Not in particularly," He'd replied, walking closer so the gun was touching his chest. Hakuei hadn't realized how close they were standing, and she knew the contact wouldn't be good if he decided his best option was to attack. She'd have to shoot then. "But a wish for adventure? Hakuei I would do anything for that."

"That's Miss Ren to you," She commanded, trying to regain her footing. She refused to allow herself to be intimidated by the stranger. "I hope you realize being in this house is illegal. You're going to have to come with me. Seisyuun!" She called, letting him know she had backup. At least that way he may not be so confident.

He didn't seem bothered by the information. "Are you going to arrest me? I certainly hope you know how to use those handcuffs. We'll have lots of fun together if you do."

"What?" She'd asked out of confusion. "We're not having fun. You're going to jail, and then you'll never see me again. Say hello to prison." But Sinbad only shook his head, a smile plain on his face and as bright as the sun, despite the dark atmosphere around them.

"I'm not going to jail today love," he told her, in a second grabbing the gun. Before she could even think about shooting he'd yanked it out of her hands and turned it on her. Hakuei felt her face go red. She was an idiot! She'd been so angry and annoyed with him she hadn't even tried to hold onto her gun! "As you can see, this isn't my first time," He told her with a smirk.

Hakuei tried plan B. Ducking under the gun she tried a spinning kick to get him in the head. Turned out he knew how to fight as well, for he grabbed her foot in midair. Hakuei's face grew pale when he used his leverage to swing her around, throwing her, luckily, onto the bed. Hakuei coughed, jumping off the bed as soon as she could, his laugher echoing through her head. "You certainly are a brave one, aren't you? And quite fun to tease as well. Ever think about leaving the police and coming to join a thief?" Hakuei wouldn't even dignify that question with a response.

"Our backup will be here any minute," She told him, knowing that even if he had a gun he couldn't stop three other cops. If he used her as a hostage, she'd just try and get the gun back.

"I know that of course," Sinbad agreed, taking a step not towards the door, but closer to her. "I'll be leaving in a moment. Just making sure you fit the cut."

"Fit the cut," She asked, confusion plain on her face. "For what?"

His smile sent chills up her spine. "Someone who I'd enjoy having around for a while." Then, quick as a flash, he leaned down and kissed her. Her eyes widened, to shocked to react. He leaned down deep, forcing her mouth open and biting at her lip. He chuckled, and she could feel it against her lips. He was enjoying it, she was not. As soon as she could she pushed him away as soon as possible, gasping for breath. Sinbad only stepped back playfully, undeterred. Testing, he ran his hand over his lips, pondering to himself. "Hm…well, you aren't the best kisser I've ever met," He mused. "But that certainly was exciting. Don't worry, we'll work on that part in time."

"Work on…Work on what?" She shook her head, anger blurring her vision. "That goes for sexual assault. Congratulations, you've just added another thing to your list along with breaking and entering, thievery,"

"Still so confident!" Sinbad laughed, walking backwards not towards he. Not towards the door. But towards the window. "Love, I'm getting to enjoy your company more each second I'm with you."

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Hakuei growled, jumping in front of the door so he couldn't get to it again. "This is the last you'll see of me."

"Oh, I don't think so," he said, walking till his back was against the window. Casually, he leaned back and opened it, letting the glass swing back and the cold air came rushing in. Hakuei gasped when she realized what he was going to do. "You and I have quite a future ahead of us if I have anything to say about it."

"Don't," She stuttering, taking a step forward in surprise. She had to stop him. "Don't. We're up to high, you'll never make it."

"Lady Hakuei," He jumped on the ledge, keeping his balance despite the small support. "It has been such a pleasure." He made a quick bow, and once he'd straightened he'd winked at her. "Till we meet again."

Then he'd jumped.

…

* * *

After that night, her life had gotten very complicated. What she had thought would be a one-time meeting had become a frequent experience. Sinbad had decided to spend more time in her city than just about every city she'd ever been to. He robbed places he knew she'd be sent to check out, caused problems with people who conveniently had Hakuei on speed dial. Eventually it got to the point that whenever there was a robbery they would send Hakuei down automatically because she was the only one who had any chance of even seeing him. Whenever someone else went, he wouldn't even appear. That was agenizing for Hakuei to be used like that. But that wasn't the worst of it. Turned out he wasn't just an ordinary thief. He was world-renown, the leader of a group called Sindria. Associations like the FBI or NCSI had been hunting him down for ages. Hakuei had become their key to doing just that. She was recruited by the FBI to try and catch Sinbad. Whenever they heard he may be somewhere, they sent her. Sinbad hadn't had a problem with it. He's been thrilled, and enjoyed the game to the fullest. He'd tease her, give her a heads up, and sometimes invite her as his guest to a heist. More times than Hakuei would like to admit, he'd even helped them catch more heinous criminals than him. But Hakuei wasn't pleased. Every time she thought she'd catch him. Each time she thought she was one step ahead, he'd beat her. She didn't know how. She especially didn't like it how he'd always enjoy every time they were together. The man was aggravatingly cocky, flirtatious in more ways than one, and far more intelligent than his own good. Hakuei wanted nothing more than to put him behind bars.

Alright. Perhaps she was a bit emotional about the chase.

"Stop!" She exclaimed, finally reaching him at a dead end. He spun around to face her, brick wall on his back, left and right with Hakuei ahead of him. The suit he wore was drenched from the rain, a computer chip hidden in one of his pockets. Hakuei held her gun just like she'd done the first time they'd met. Her hair which had been styled was soaked to the bone, her dress sticking to her like frost on a window. She was glad she hadn't decided to wear heels. "End of the line Sinbad," She gasped, trying to keep her gun level. That annoyingly attractive smirk traced his features.

"Haven't we played this scene before Hakuei? You know I'll get away somehow. Though I must say, I appreciate the change in attire." Hakuei decided to ignore him.

"Hand over the chip Sinbad."

"Oh I'd love to," Sinbad invited holding out his arms. "But I don't remember where I put it. You're free to search me if you like." She growled as she took the safety off the gun.

"Why are you so confident?" Hakuei questioned out of the blew, unable to stop her own tongue. "What makes you so sure you'll always get away?" Sinbad blinked, surprised at the question. But once it was presented to him, he took a moment to consider it. For a moment the only sound that could be heard was the hammering of rain around them, deafening yet silent to their ears.

Finally, he gave an answer. "I suppose I've got too much to look forward to if I succeed. So I refuse to lose." Hakuei huffed, forcing herself to keep still despite the cold.

"And what would that be?" Her question just made his smile grow.

"Another grand adventure with you."


	2. Chapter 2 Secret Identities

Secret identities

 **This one isn't really my idea. I got the idea form a TV show I heard of, I just switched a few details so it fit here. I can't say it's exactly the same because I haven't been able to watch it yet, but I also can't claim the idea of the idea/inspiration as my own.**

The girl with raven hair chewed on her pencil absentmindedly. She didn't know that she was doing it, her eyes trained on another sitting on the other end of the classroom. Her head and heart were both focusing on him, instead of the piece of wood, metal, eraser and lead. A long sigh was released from her mouth as she focused on him, hoping that she wouldn't be noticed. Unfortunately, she was.

"I really don't know what that pencil could have done to hurt you so much, but maybe you should put it out of its misery." Hakuei jumped in her seat at the sound of her cousin's voice. A few people glanced back to see what had happened. All they caught was Hakuei's blushing face, so they all turned back to the lesson carelessly. Koumei laughed under his breath as his step-sister turned red. "I'm just speaking on behalf of the pencil-labour rights movement. That pencil has been overworked."

He snapped his mouth shut when she stomped on his foot. "Shut up Koumei," She shushed him as he bit his lip to stop from whimpering in pain. "He almost heard you!"

Koumei would have laughed if he wasn't in pain. "If he hasn't felt you boring your eyes into the back of his skull I doubt he's going to notice anything by now." Hakuei knew he was kidding, but glanced over at him to be sure. He hadn't noticed her at all, too busy writing down notes for the class. Part of her wished he had noticed. Even a little? "Hakuei, I'm supposed to be known as the lazy one. You are known as the smart teachers-pet, and yet you can't even take notes for one class. Your grade is going to get lower than mine."

Hakuei scoffed at that. "No matter how distracted I get, you're too lazy for my grades to ever get below yours." Her step-brother was very intelligent, but his laziness and habit of sleeping in class brought him behind in his evaluations. That, and most teachers didn't like him.

He didn't seem torn up about it. "Okay, maybe not. But people are going to start thinking you're sick." Leaning closer he whispered in her ear, "and I'm sure you really don't want people to know that you're love-sick," he sang the last words to tease her, but that only resulted in him getting kicked in the shins and whimpering in pain. "Sorry," he squeaked.

"I am NOT love-sick," Hakuei tried to defend herself, but knew it was useless. Koumei knew his cousin well enough to know there was a reason when she would blush when a certain person passed or try and look nice even when all she was doing was going to school. "Oh pay attention," she urged him when his knowing smile made her want to flip a table.

"Yes," he mused, turning towards the chalkboard so he could pretend to listen. "Because you are doing such a good job at that." She bit her lip so she didn't start the fight again. Deep down, she knew she wouldn't win.

After too long, the class was dismissed. The bell rang, and instantly students got out of their seats. Koumei and Hakuei gathered their books quickly. Koumei had no desire to be in the school longer than he had to. The two of them headed to the door, both anxious to be home for different reasons. As they were leaving, they were in for a bit of a surprise.

"Hakuei?" Hakuei froze. Had she heard that right? She hadn't misinterpreted the voice? Koumei glanced at his cousin's awestruck face and snickered. Kouha would have a field day if he had been there.

Forcing herself to keep her cool, she slowly turned to see who had called her name. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw Sinbad behind her, Jafar catching up to him. He had that addicting smile on his face and his bag carelessly tossed on one shoulder. His hair was to long for regulation, and the black shirt did not fit the uniform. No one had bothered to comment however. "Hey, can I ask you a favour?" Koumei considered taking out a camera when Hakuei looked like he'd just asked her to run off into the sunset.

"Y-yeah!" Hakuei exclaimed, a little too loudly. "I-I mean, uh…yeah, sure. I don't mind helping out, always good to be helpful. We weren't doing too much, I've got the time, not a big deal," she trailed off when she realized she was babbling. Koumei covered his mouth to keep from laughing while Hakuei suppressed the urge to run away and never look back or send Koumei running and never looking back. "Uh…what was it you wanted?"

To her relief, Sinbad didn't comment. "I wasn't here for class yesterday because Jafar and I were…home sick," he added after a pause. "Is there any chance you could lend us some to make a copy?" Hakuei had no problem with sharing notes. The fact that Sinbad was the one asking didn't hurt either.

"S-sure!" She hurried to rummage through her bag to try and find the notes. As she nearly reached them, she noticed Koumei shaking his head in the corner of her eye. What did he mean no? Why wouldn't she want to help Sinbad out when he asked her for a favour-

Oh right. She hadn't been in class yesterday either.

Stupid criminals robbing banks in the middle of school hours.

"Um…Actually, I just remembered. I ah…" She scrambled for an excuse. "I…I left my notes at home," she finally told them, making Koumei sigh in exasperation. "I'll bring them in tomorrow. Is that okay?" Sinbad gave her a heartwarming smile.

"Of course. Thanks very much, this class is hard enough without having to miss a few days here and there." Hakuei laughed, more to herself than to him. Oh he had no idea. "Hamlet is a really interesting character, but I think we could be reading some better material if you ask me," Sinbad continued, trying to start a polite conversation. "The stories of huckleberry Finn would be a great read. The decision to try and figure out the social norms then actually doing something about it would be pretty easy to write an essay on. Even an essay on Mark Twain and how he himself had to become that…what did he call it…1 in 1000? 10,000? Anyway, I loved that book." Hakuei's heart lifted when he said that. She admired his love of books and how intelligently he spoke. Trust her, intelligent conversation could be pretty hard to come by.

"Y-yeah, I mean it was a great story, b-but," just as she was starting to get used to using her tongue to make actual words, she was interrupted by a beeping sound from her bag. To make it worse, she knew it wasn't her phone. Her hands clenched at her side as she wished the earth would open up and swallow her whole. _Not now!_

Probably for the best, Koumei recognized the sound. "Sorry Sinbad, but Hakuei needs to go now." Sinbad nodded understandingly.

"That's alright. Sorry for taking up your time." Turning to Hakuei he gave her a kind smile. "I'll see you tomorrow I guess." Hakuei's heart fluttered but outwardly she tried to seem normal.

"Yeah. That sounds…sick." Koumei groaned and hid his face in his hands. Sinbad gave her a look, but waved as he hurried to go find his friends. Hakuei kept the smile on her face until he'd left, then it fell so quickly you'd question if it was even there. "I'm an idiot."

"I think that goes without saying," Koumei agreed, patting her on the back. "Did you just try to talk like one of the cool-I'm sorry, 'sick' kids?" her glare was hard enough to break through iron.

"Give me a break, would you?" Hakuei grumbled, trudging past him into the hallway. If her alarm was going off, that meant she had to get ready before Al-thamen did something she couldn't solve. "They don't exactly teach you how to be cool in school you know."

Her brother shrugged. "Fair enough. Speaking of being cool, smooth moves there miss teachers-pet. How are you planning on getting those notes you weren't in class for?" Hakuei glared at him, knowing he was enjoying her pain rather than sympathising.

"I'll figure something out." After a pause she questioned, "What are the odds that you took the notes?" Koumei just stared at her. "None? Fine. Forget I asked."

"While I can't wait to see how you figure it all out," He patted her backpack, reminding her why they'd left in a hurry. "You should go get ready." Hakuei sighed. Why did all the terrible things seem to happen at the worst time possible?

The two of them rushed to find an empty room. The only place that they could find in the small amount of time they had was-of course-the janitor's closet. "You have got to be kidding me," Hakuei moaned. "Must I?"

Koumei didn't find a problem with it. "Hey, we can always keep looking if you want to risk it," Hakuei shook her head as she hurried into the room. As soon as it clicked shut she heard her cousin move so he was in front of the door, keeping watch. Hakuei struggled to rummage through her bag, wondering why she couldn't be more organized and leave it in a different, easily accessible part of her bag. Some books and papers were tossed aside until she finally pulled out a white, feathery fan. Her secret weapon.

As soon as she'd grabbed it, her clothes changed. Her school pants changed into white skin-tight pants with a white and pink skirt overtop. The white dress shirt and tie turned into a white tank-top framed with gold and pink bands around the waist. Her jewelry became gold bracelets and anklets with white feathers. Instead of her comfortable running shoes she was put in brown sandals that she wished weren't as exposed to the elements. Her dark hair became a brilliant white with a gold band around her forehead. The finishing touch was when a gold ribbon circled around her hair and held it all together close to the bottom.

And just like that, Hakuei went from a regular student to Paimon, the unknown girl who was trying to find answers.

Koumei knocked on the door, making her jump. "Hakuei? Are you done?"

"Paimon!" Hakuei shushed him through the door. She could almost hear him rolling his eyes.

"I am NOT going to call you by your fake name. And a bad one at that. Why can't you just go wear some skiing mask and learn some ninja moves like everyone else?" Hakuei had yet to meet someone who did that, much less EVERYONE. "It's better than that thing you wear that makes you look like you're going to a comic book convention."

Hakuei huffed as she hid her bag. "Well I didn't pick it." The name wasn't her's to pick. Obviously she had to use the name that was given to her. Obviously.

Well, it was either that, or go by her real name and let all her teachers and friends know she beat criminals up on a regular basis. Sometimes in sewers, or by breaking and entering buildings, often breaking the law…That would be a great discussion to have with her family. 'So Hakuei, did you have a good day at school?' 'Mostly, though I missed my last class so I could break into a government building. Ooh, I knocked out one guys tooth!' Kouen would not be amused.

At least Koumei hadn't taken the news that badly when he found out. "The coast is clear," he whispered after far too long. "Are you going to come out here and walk the runway in that circus outfit you're wearing?" Hakuei rolled her eyes. Koumei had gotten more sarcastic over the years.

"Again, didn't pick it."

"Well who did pick it? Tell them to go back to design school." She shouldn't have woken him up early that morning. He got sassy when he was tired.

She sighed as she walked out. "And it doesn't look THAT bad." She glanced at a window across from her to see her reflection. "…It's fine. Most importantly, no one would recognize me…It looks terrible, doesn't it?" Koumei shook his head, easing up a bit.

"No, you look fine. As long as you can fight in it. You look like, uh…" he glanced her up and down. "Like…a dove! Or…an angel?" Hakuei allowed a small smile. Creative with the insults, but blank for the kindness? At least he was trying.

Shaking her head, she gave him her bag. "Thank you Koumei for looking out for me. Tell Kouen I…um…" She came up empty. Kouen was her cousin, but might as well have been her guardian. If she didn't have a good reason for not being home in time, she'd be in trouble.

Koumei had her back. "I'll tell him you went to visit Seisyuun." The two of them headed over to the back entrance to the school, allowing Koumei to check for any stray students. "Okay…You're good." He turned and gave her a smile. "Hurry up and beat those al-thamen agents up so you can come home and...Not cook. Please." At least her cousin could always make her smile.

"I'll be back before you know it." And she went up, up, and away.

…

* * *

"Really," Sinbad moaned. "Now?" Jafar glared at him.

"You can party later. Get a move on!" Jafar ordered, pushing him out the window. What were friends or, huh?

If Sinbad had been in his normal school uniform (Not that he wore the uniform) he would have fallen to his death. But wearing the Focalor uniform, he shifted the air around him so he could float back up to the window. With red baggy pants, black face makeup to hide his identity, gold hoopy earrings and jewelry around his neck and wrists. A sleeve of black feathers covered his arms, surprisingly more comfortable than it sounds. Sinbad flew close to Jafar, probably the only one in the entire world who would be unimpressed by his transformation. "Are you done?"

"Showing off? Not even close," Sinbad spun around in the air for good measure. Jafar rolled his eyes. "Look, do I really need to do this today? You're the one who says I should work harder on my school work." That wasn't helping him too much.

"I say that because when you should be working you're out at a party or writing a story. ( **As I write this I wonder if I should be working…)** Besides, you can't get any work done until Hakuei brings you those notes tomorrow." Sinbad's confidence waivered for a moment.

"Um…Hakuei?" Jafar covered his face with exasperation.

"Hakuei Ren! She's in our class?" Sinbad didn't clue in. "The one with the pretty blue eyes? You said they reminded you or the sea." That helped him remember. Little things like that.

"Oh yeah. Nice girl." That was all he really had to say on the matter.

Jafar let it go, knowing they were pressed for time. "You can't just leave Al-thamen to do whatever they want. Besides," Jafar added, knowing exactly what his friend wanted to hear. "Do you really want to leave your super-powered friend all alone?" Sinbad's spirit lifted. Friend, in his opinion, was a strong word.

"Alright, I'll be out. Sinbad out!" Jafar looked like he was going to explode.

"Focalor! You go by-gah!" Sinbad just laughed as he soared through the air. Jafar shouldn't worry so much. Sinbad had it handled! Nothing bad would happen while he was on the job, especially when Paimon was involved.

A year or so ago he met her, he'd gotten a mysterious package from a mysterious donor who went by the name Solomon. His bracelet and Paimon's fan both gave them supernatural abilities to fight off a terrorist organization called al-thamen. Why it had been given to high school students? Sinbad didn't know. How no one was able to recognize him even though all he was wearing was a different change of clothes and some black paint? He didn't know that either. Why two people have even been given such a high power was beyond him as well. Heck, he didn't care. It was great to know he was doing something other than just handing in assignments on time and being the party boy others knew him as. Solomon had even offered to pay him in the future if he needed it. Fighting bad guys sounded like a fun job.

The worst part-or at the same time the best part-was Paimon. Paimon. The original one who had been chosen. At first there was only supposed to be one in each country, but after al-thamen's forces increased, Solomon chose another. Sinbad heard of others in different countries, but never met any. But Paimon was the main thing that kept him fighting. She was amazing, brave enough to face any number of foes despite the odds. Kind, as shown when she nearly destroyed herself trying to save a young girl and her brother then taking the time to try and nurse them back to health. Intelligent to, like when she outsmarted a group right as they were trying to outsmart her. Not to mention beautiful. At least, from what he'd seen. He'd never seen her outside of the battlefield. At least he didn't think he had.

That was his main problem. She refused to tell him who she was. Paimon obviously wasn't her real name. If it was, her parents must have hated her. But no matter what he did, she wouldn't give any details to her life outside of crime fighting. All he really knew was that she was younger than him and she had a brother whose name started with a K. or an H. Or two brothers. Or more. What he wouldn't give to know who she was! He wanted to get to know her more than anything. He'd never thought about a girl as much as he did her. Was she different in normal everyday life? What would it have been like to talk to her without glancing over their shoulders? He wish he knew.

Too bad she didn't wish as much as he did.

Quicker than any vehicle known to man, Sinbad allowed his metal vessel to guide him to…an abandoned factory? Wow, those superhero comic books Sharkkon read really weren't that different from real life crime fighting. Kind of cliché, but he could live with that. At least it was quiet. If he was quiet enough, he could sneak in through the back entrance and-

BOOM!

And that plan went up in flames.

Literally.

Sinbad's jaw dropped open when the south side of the building exploded. Flames danced on the bricks, and there was the sound of screaming from inside. Instinctively, Sinbad held up his hand so he could put out the fire. Before he got to it a torrent of wind engulfed the fire from the inside out, leaving part of the building destroyed but the flames neutralized. His panic washed away and was replaced with joy.

She was there already.

Like a bullet he shot forward, breaking through a window and into the building. Just like he'd thought, Paimon was already there. A group of al-thamen soldiers were fighting her while some of their scientists gathered their info and tried to escape. Sinbad hardly noticed, to focused on the beauty beating the life out of the guys in black. She used her fan to blow three of them against the wall, spinning around just as quickly so she could jump out of the way of a bullet. Still so evasive. Sinbad could sympathise on that part.

But being Focalor, he knew he should make a grand entrance. Raising his hand, he made a tornado spin out from his palm. With the eye of the storm centered on Paimon, he blew the guards in circles, leaving ten feet between her and anyone else. "Excuse me," Focalor huffed, landing next to Paimon. "The only one who gets that close to my lady is me." 'His lady' spun around to see the intruder. When she saw him, she stuck out her tongue.

"Oh, so you decided to show up? You're late." Focalor shrugged innocently.

"Did you miss me?"

"Hardly," Paimon fought back. "I was doing better without your help." Focalor rolled his eyes, undeterred by her attitude. He was used to it after the months of working with her. "Anyway, if you're here you might as well make yourself useful. From what I can tell there's something in the basement of the building, an experiment that they are working on,"

"Well I missed you," Focalor interrupted, putting a frown on Paimon's face. "I haven't seen you since we found the missing agent in New York. We should really hang out more."

The look on her face said that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. "I don't want to spend any more time with you than I have to Focalor, much less admit who I am outside of this to you." She spun around to kick one of the brave-or stupid-soldiers who were still able to move in the gut, sending him flying through the air. Gosh she looked amazing when she was destroying the hopes of others. "Let's just get going."

"You're too cruel," Focalor moaned as he followed her past the guards to a set of stairs in the non-burned part of the building. "You and I, we make a great team! Spending a little quality time would, ah...be great for our partnership," He suggested seductively.

Paimon wasn't taken in by his tone, unlike many of the girls they often saved. "I'm not that big a fan of you now, I doubt seeing you on personal terms would make working with you any easier." Focalor was certainly willing to test that theory. When the two of them reached the door, Paimon tried to open it the regular way. It was locked.

"Allow me," Focalor suggested, gently pushing her to the side. With one swift kick the door went flying, revealing a set of stairs that the door went crashing down. Taking a step back he bowed politely. "After you." Paimon snuffed his actions in distain, but hurried to rush down the stairs. _The sooner I find out what's going on here, the sooner I can get back to being regular Hakuei and try and find someone to lend me notes for Sinbad._ Paimon/Hakuei groaned. Sinbad was going to know the notes weren't hers. What would he think of her? Obviously he would think the worst of her. He'd never speak to he again, all because the stupid job had made her miss class. Maybe she was overreacting, but she didn't want to risk it. Not only did the job interfere with her life, but also meant she had to meet with the flirtatious Focalor on a daily basis. She'd much rather be working with Sinbad. The thought made her smile.

Her daydream distracted her from what was right in front of her. Literally. As they broke through another door Focalors eyes widened. "Paimon, Wait!" Before she could react something flashed in front of her face.

Pain sliced through her face. "Gah!" Paimon spun away, trying to cover the wound on her cheek. Focalor hissed and jumped to her side.

"Paimon! Are you okay?" His heart was racing as he tried to get her to face him. Paimon hardly ever got seriously injured. If anyone dared to hurt a single hair on her head he would make sure they would regret it, but whatever means necessary. "Paimon?"

His melodrama was pointless when she waved him away. "It's fine. It's just a scratch." Reaching up she wiped the blood off her cheek. A clean strike from her top cheekbone to her jawbone. That would be hard to hide at school. Shaking her head she tried to get her bearings and find out where the attack had come from. When she saw what had happened, she wished she hadn't.

A large cage had sprung up around them. Big with metal walls, only a large glass window in front of her revealing the room they'd entered. There was evidence that al-thamen had been there, their vials and plans sprawled across the desks and tables. Even through the cage she could smell the chemicals, making her stomach churn. But all items of real value had been snuck away, along with all their agents. There was nothing left in the basement, just the cage that was likely meant to stall them while the members upstairs hurried away. Paimon had been sloppy. They'd gotten overconfident, thinking it would just be a quick bust. And they'd failed.

"They got away," Paimon cursed in anger. "Again!" Her fist hammered against the side of the cage in frustration. It had been months they'd been chasing the leader of al-thamen. Just when she thought she was getting close, she lost them. She was such an amateur, she couldn't even figure out what a few scientists were doing. Why had she been chosen, she couldn't do anything right! If only she hadn't taken so long trying to break in. If only she hadn't-

Focalor hurried to reassure her. "Hey, it wasn't your fault. Let's just worry about getting out of here before getting annoyed at things we can't control." Paimon swallowed her pride and nodded.

"I…Alright. Can you break us out using your lightning sword?" She asked, referencing the sword he always kept hanging at his hip. His eyes widened at the suggestion.

"You want me to cause a lighting storm? In here?"

"Use it on the window, a clean shot through. We'll be fine."

But Focalor shook his head. "No, it's dangerous. We'll think of another way out, I'd never want to risk hurting you." Paimon threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. She wasn't in the mood for his noble act. They both knew he was no knight in shining armour.

"Would you rather be stuck in here forever?" Sinbad paused, debating the thought in his mind. Stuck forever with Paimon. All alone…forever… "Why are you smiling like that?"

"Nothing." Focalor sang.

Eventually, Paimon had convinced him to break through the window. They'd broken free to confirm Paimon's suspicions. Everyone had gotten away, and all the useful information was gone. Solomon wouldn't be happy when they told him. Paimon was frustrated enough for the both of them until he found out.

"We'll catch him next time," Focalor encouraged. "Or the next. It may take some time, but you know we will." Paimon sighed. She wanted just to catch the enemy as soon as possible. Be done with it all. But she knew Focalor was right. If she wanted to catch their enemy properly, she would have to be patient.

Sighing, she turned and gave him a weak smile. "I should probably be getting back. It was good to see you again." Focalor's heart raced, but he hid his joy with a teasing smirk.

"So you did miss me!" He put his hands to his heart, pretending to swoon. "It's a dream come true." Paimon wanted to just shrug it off, but she couldn't help but laugh. To him her laugh was bubbly and heartwarming. He could listen to it all day.

"I'll see you later Focalor."

"Hopefully sometime soon?" He suggested. Paimon smirked.

"Don't count on it."

* * *

"I'm still surprised no one can tell it is me in that outfit," Hakuei confessed to Koumei as they walked through the hallways the next day. Their fellow students walked past, oblivious to Hakuei's problems. According to them, nothing had changed, and yesterday had just been a normal day. Well, to Hakuei, it had been a normal day. Just a different kind of normal.

Koumei didn't respond right away, having a hard time keeping his eyes open. "I don't know. Have you tried contacting Solomon?" Hakuei shook her head.

"I'm sure that man has much more important things to do than worry about things like that. It would be rude and unprofessional of me to contact him to ask him something like that." _Especially after we failed on the last mission,_ She reminded herself just so she would feel worse about it. Hopefully that way she wouldn't forget. Shifting through her bag she changed the subject. "Anyway, did you get the notes?"

Her step-brother smirked. "You owe me." To her relief he reached in his bag and pulled out two copies of the notes she'd missed. "Seisyuun let me photocopy his notes."

"Yes!" She hugged her cousin with glee. "Thank you so much Koumei! I'll take notes for you for a week so you can sleep in class." Before Koumei could respond she pulled back, making sure all the notes were right. "Now I just have to find Sinbad so I can lend him some notes." Koumei sighed in exasperation.

"Seriously? I don't understand why you like him so much. I mean, nothing's wrong with him, but he obviously doesn't care too much about you." As he said this, a smile sneaked on his face. "While on the other hand, we both know someone who cares VERY much about you." A groan escaped Hakuei's lips.

"Don't even think about it."

"I just don't understand," Koumei defended himself. "What makes Sinbad so much better than Focalor? That guy's got powers! If your brother's rants about comic books have taught me anything is that girls usually like guys with impossible powers." Impossible was certainly true. Knives from your knuckles?

"Sinbad is much better than Focalor," Hakuei sighed. "Sinbad's intelligent, and kind to others, and loyal to his friends! Focalor on the other hand is flirtatious, always late, loves to be the centre of attention and has an ego bigger than this school!" Koumei rolled his eyes, wishing he had never said anything.

"All I'm saying is that because of Sinbad, you never even give Focalor a chance. You don't know what he's like beyond the battlefield." Hakuei threw up her hands in exasperation.

"And I doubt I ever will! I don't know who Focalor is, so how would I ever get to know him when I don't even know is real-" before she could finish Hakuei's tongue went limp. Koumei blinked, not finding the answer until he looked up. When he did he groaned in exasperation.

Sinbad and Jafar were walking over to them, a big smile on Sinbad's face. "Hakuei!" Hakuei nearly fainted when he called her name and walked over to her. "Hey, do you have those notes I asked for?" It took her a moment to process what he was saying before she could respond.

"S-sure!" She shoved her other copy at him, mixed between joy and embarrassment. "I-I couldn't find my own, so we got Seisyuun to lend us some! His writing can be a little hard to read, but…" Finally she trailed off when she saw Koumei slicing his neck, silently telling her to stop.

Sinbad was too focused on the notes to really pay attention to what she said. "…These look great! Thanks for getting them!" Hakuei felt like she had just went to heaven.

It took her far too long to realize Jafar was asking her a question. "Hey, what happened to your chin?"

Instinctively she covered it with her hand. She'd forgotten about the scar she'd gotten on her cheek in the battle the other day. "I ah…we were ah…" She couldn't come up with a viable excuse when Sinbad was staring at her. If she had to go through the rest of high school acting like a bumbling idiot whenever she saw Sinbad, she knew she wouldn't survive.

Koumei came to her rescue. "We're doing some repairs at our house and she scratched herself on the materials." The chances that the two of them going to their house was slim, so even if it was a big fat lie they wouldn't be able to tell.

Sinbad didn't seem to be paying too much attention. "Anyway, I've got to be heading to class. I can't be late again." Hakuei nodded.

"Yes. Me two." Sinbad just nodded. Both convinced the conversation was done, they spun around and headed in different directions. Koumei and Jafar watched them go in exasperation.

"When do you think they're going to figure it out?" Koumei asked.

"I don't know," Jafar shook his head with a sigh. "They're both idiots at times."

 **This was really cliché, but fun to write. Koumei's a bit OC, but I like the thought of a sassy Koumei. Well, all the characters were a bit oc, but this was lots of fun to write!**


	3. Chapter 3 GenderSwap Part 1

Gender swap

"WHYYYYY."

"I'll admit Sinbad. This is the first time I've really heard you upset to go to a party."

Queen Sinbad rolled over as she let out the longest sigh that could be heard throughout the entire kingdom. Even through all the bustle and hustle of visitors and preparing for the party a few straggling children and curious guests could hear the loud moan of their leader from her castle. Most of them chose to ignore it.

Unfortunately, Jafar didn't have the luxury of that choice. Sharkkon wasn't being any help, hiding her laughter behind her hand. With a whisk of her head Jafar glared at Sharkkon who instantly snapped her mouth shut. The giggles were still there. She was seriously considering getting Masrur to drag Sharkkon off of the balcony by force.

"Gah!" Sinbad plopped into her throne, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Why do I have to host a party for potential 'suitors?' I don't want to get married! This is ridiculous!" Jafar shook her head, her short hair tickling her cheeks as she did.

"Sinbad, our allied countries aren't all open to the idea of a queen being in charge of the seven seas alliance. This was the only way that we were able to appease them. At least this makes them think you are open to the idea." Sinbad slammed her hands down on the arms of the throne in anger.

"So they think me marrying one of their princes will make me a better ruler? No, they just hope that if I happen to marry their prince, they may get more power over the others. It's not right!" She jumped to her feet and began pacing in front of her friends, trying to sort through her thoughts. "I worked hard to develop Sindria as well as the seven seas alliance, and they think they can get into my country so easily when others have worked to gain my trust? It's appalling! There is no way I'm going to pick one of them! I have no desire to get married!" a tiny smile slipped on her face when she thought about that. Masrur mumbled something about 'man-killer of the seven seas' under his breath.

Jafar hurried to reassure her that wouldn't happen. "It's not required for you to actually choose one, though I'm sure some countries would prefer it. All we agreed to was a party where they could send their suitors and princes here for you to meet them. All you need to do is be polite and pretend to be considering." Placing her hand on Sinbad's shoulder, she whispered as to get her attention. "You can use the opportunity to get some of the future leaders on your side. I don't think charming a few princes would be any problem for you, right Sin?" The secret smile on her face grew easily with the complement.

Flicking her hair back she agreed, "I guess you're right. Fine, I'll do it." Turning, Sin lead the four of them from the balcony and back into the palace. "But there had better be some really good wine!"

"Of course," Jafar agreed, before silently telling the servants to cut down on the amount of alcohol at the party.

* * *

"Kougyoku, just because this is your first official party, doesn't mean you need to freak out." Kougyoku wasn't convinced as they walked behind the other princes on the way to the palace, the two of them having been forced to the back.

"Yes it does!" Kougyoku exclaimed, tugging on his tunic nervously. "I've gone to battles, gone to a dungeon, gone to some of those really boring meetings where nearly all of my older brothers end up falling asleep in the end, but I've never done this!"

Hakuei shook his head, his short dark hair mirroring the darkness of the sky without the stars. "This won't be anywhere near as bad as that." His words didn't comfort his younger brother very much.

Nervously he ran his fingers through the hair that Miss Kouban had worked so hard to comb. She would have had a fit if she saw what Kougyoku was doing to it. "But this is a party! There's going to be officials from every country in the seven seas alliance! What if I make a fool of myself? This is my first time going to a social convention with so many people like this! In board meetings, it's easier because I'm not expected to say something. In board meetings you're told what to do! You can't teach someone how to act in a party! Oh man, why did my eldest sister- sorry, emperor, have to make an alliance with this new country?" Hakuei smiled and shook his head. He didn't know how to calm his younger brother down. Kouen, who unfortunately was dealing with some negotiations with Koumei in the north, hadn't been able to come. Usually she was the best at keeping their brother calm.

Kouha, on the other hand, wasn't very helpful at all. She laughed and squeezed in-between the two of them to get a word in. "Because apparently the queen of Sindria's a looker, and our brother will do anything for a few pretty words and a charming smile." Hakuei frowned at his sister as she laughed at their brother's expense. Two of their elder brothers ahead of them glared at her, but didn't say anything.

"Kouha, be careful when you talk about our new emperor like that. I'm sure that he had a better reason than that," he tried to encourage them, but wasn't to convinced himself. Either way, their siblings were just starting to get used to being the heads of kou. He knew they would get better with practice if they tried hard enough…Hopefully. Glancing up and down at Kouha, Hakuei frowned. "You shouldn't have warn that dress. You're going to get cold." Kouha placed her hand on her heart and feigned a heart attack.

"I'm hurt! This is the latest fashion nowadays brother, you should pay attention. Besides, Sindria is warmer than Kou." Kouha had decided to wear a small white dress, barely reaching her knees. There was a triangle pattern around her waist, three straps around her neck and shoulders holding it up, a sparking red cape behind her and long white boots. Showing off, she did a little twirl which made her curled hair spin around with her. "It's a party, and unlike you, I'm going to dress like it." Hakuei had decided to go with the more official clothing, wearing a pair of dark blue pants, black boots, a white shirt with a blue vest overtop with the emblem of a dragon on it. He'd hardly even combed his hair that morning. He was not used to being on a boat, and it was too difficult trying to be tidy while he could hardly hold his own stomach.

Hakuryuu rolled her eyes at her. "You could have at least worn something that resembled Kou attire. Where did you get that anyway?"

"It was imported," Kouha told her cheerfully. Hakuryuu shrugged. Hakuei's little sister never put that much care in her outfits and clothing. She had her hair tied up in two buns, a traditional Kou dress, blue with white on the edges and around her waist.

"Hey!" The four of them jumped and turned to face Kousorin, the second eldest prince of Kou. "Hurry up, will you? We don't want to be late to the party! You four are lucky you're coming at all. Don't embarrass the rest of us." Hakuryuu opened her mouth to argue, but Hakuei hurried to silence them.

Kougyoku sighed. "Maybe they're right. Why did we all have to come anyway? I'm only the eight prince of Kou, you don't count as an official prince anymore, and the only ones who our country would agree to allow the queen of Sindria marry would be the third at the least. What is the point to all of us being here?"

"Because Hakuei's going to have to make sure they don't embarrass us," Hakuryuu grumbled, but Hakuei jabbed her with his elbow.

"It could have been worse," Hakuei suggested, placing a comforting hand on Kougyoku's shoulder. "Judal could have decided to come."

All of them shivered at the thought.

* * *

Hakuei had never been one for parties, but despite his negative feelings towards them, he had to admit.

Nobody threw a party like Sindria.

Perhaps it was the food. An intoxicating aroma had already captured a number of guests to the dining table. Or the decorations? Lavish colours draped the walls and the intricate designs in the furniture showed passion with every cut. Maybe it was the entertainment. Musicians from a land Hakuei had never heard of played a tune that seemed to hypnotize the dancers to bend at their will as the play on the other side of the main hall was able to capture just as much attention with its loud acting and entrapment of the audience. It could have been the company. Hundreds of world leaders from all corners of the known world had gathered, each with unique ways to walk, talk, eat and act. Hakuei really couldn't decide. It all seemed amazing to him, having been used to kou's official 'parties' where everyone strictly talked diplomacy, and anything that even resembled a real party was to be done outside. Hakuei didn't know where to start. He wanted to explore all of it, to meet everyone, to enjoy himself in a country he'd never been to before.

Unfortunately, it was not to be.

True to Hakuryuu's word, Hakuei spent most of the night making sure her siblings didn't get in trouble.

"Kouta! Leave her alone, she doesn't want to drink with you!" Hakuei had to forcibly yank his brother away from the shy redhead who scurried away as soon as she got the chance. Kouta tried to follow after her, but Hakuei held him back. "Prince Kouta, you can't go around doing whatever you want! We are guests here!"

Kouta turned and glared at him step-brother angrily. "Who are you to boss me around? You aren't in a higher position and us anymore. I should be telling you what to do, not the other way around." He slapped Hakuei's hand away from him, a cocky smirk on his face. From the ugly aroma that came when he spoke, Hakuei could tell he had too much wine.

He decided not to argue that last part. "Yes, our positions of power have changed. Yours is now one where people look to you as a representation of our country. You can't get away with whatever you want like you could when no one was paying attention. You have to act like a prince," He tried to continue, but Kouta waved him off.

"You know what? Forget about it. This is the biggest party I've been to ever, and I'm not going to let a buzzkill like you ruin it." Before Hakuei could object, Kouta stomped forward, forcing Hakuei out of the way as he walked over to the dancers. Hakuei considered going after him, but decided it was a lost cause. Instead he just let out a long sigh. _It's my biggest party to._

"They're getting arrogant, aren't they?" With a start, Hakuei spun around to face his little sister, Kouha holding a glass to her lips as she watched the exchange with indifference.

His frown increased. "You weren't any help." Kouha shrugged.

"I added moral support." Helpful. Hakuei sighed and leaned against the wall for support, covering his face with one hand in exasperation. Kouha took the spot next to him, hiding the real concern growing on her face. "Now that's just embarrassing. This is a party, you know? Or did no one tell you."

Hakuei let out a humorless laugh. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were making fun of me." Shaking his head, Hakuei stared out at the partygoers in front of them. "Why does our country have to be against women becoming leaders? I would have preferred if Kouen would have become the new face of Kou. She knows and cares about the duties of being in the royal family. Some of our brothers don't know. The ones who do…" he waved his hand out effortlessly. "Just don't care." Kouha bit her lip, wondering what to say to cheer him up. Charming words were something Kouha could do, but she doubted that was something Hakuei wanted to hear.

Instead she tried to make him laugh. "Even if Kouen wasn't the leader, she wouldn't have been brought to this party. Imagine the queens face if our sister Kouen came as the suitor." Kouha snorted, already imagining the look on her sister's face if she even suggested that.

Though Kouha got a hoot out of it, Hakuei didn't even smile. "At least Kouen would have been able to keep our brothers at bay. They respect her. But no matter what I say, they never listen to me." Again, Hakuei shook her head, wondering if there had been any point to her coming entirely. Kouha hesitated, then put a comforting hand on her cousin's shoulder.

"Come on Hakuei. You should enjoy the party!"

That made Hakuei snort at least. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm pretty busy here." Kouha's confidence spiked, parties being her natural element.

Grabbing his arm Kouha started to drag him to the dance floor. "No way. Not while I'm around is my cousin going to be working while at a party." Hakuei tried to pull away, but soon enough gave in and allowed himself to be torn from his spot on the wall into the crowd of dancing visitors. Most were around his age, a majority of them males. Probably princes from other countries.

Not being the son of the current leader of his kingdom, Hakuei wasn't sure if he was even eligible to be one of the suitors. His country wouldn't allow it. After the fire that had killed his dear elder sisters years ago, the head generals and officials decided to let his aunt and her husband rule until one of their sons matured enough to become the emperor. Hakuei's father wasn't originally from Kou, and they were hesitant to put him on the throne and break the royal line. Even his uncle was a stretch, wish was why he was only put on temporarily until one of his sons, princes with the royal bloodline, could be approved of taking the throne. Hakuei had been too young at the time to take it, and despite his sisters example, most royals were still hesitant to allow a women control the country. Hakuei that that was crazy. His sisters would have made excellent leaders, and deep down he wished Kouen had been able to take the throne. He trusted her and Koumei to at least take the job seriously.

Marrying the queen of Sindria would have been a top priority. They would want the first prince to marry the queen, or the second. The third was a stretch. If that didn't work, he wondered if they would even mention Hakuei and simple hope she would approve of the next prince. He didn't mind. Being a general took up to much of his time to think about things like that. Hakuei suspected the only reason that he had been sent there was to keep his brothers in order, set a good example.

That would be wise if his brothers even paid him the slightest attention.

"What's wrong with you Hakuei?" Kouha snapped him out of his internal dialogue. Already she had started dancing, and if he knew anything about dancing, he'd see she was good at it. Reaching out she grabbed his hands, forcing him to at least not look like a statue. "Let's dance! Relax a bit!" she used Hakuei's hands to make him spin her around as she laughed. "It's fun!"

Guilty for making Kouha worry, he offered her a sweet smile. His cousin may have been thought of as crazy and extravagant, but her heart was in the right place. "Dancing isn't really my way of having fun Kouha. But thank you for," Before he could finish, a pair of hands shot out, covering his face and blinding his temporarily.

"Guess who," The attacker requested before Hakuei could move to defend himself. Luckily they had. If Hakuei hadn't recognized the voice, he would have squeezed their wrists so tight they would have become deformed.

Hakuei would never even think about hurting a friend.

"Thomas!" He gasped with delight. The attacker laughed as she pulled her hands away, allowing Hakuei to spin around to face her. She was beaming at the sight of him, her golden hair in luscious curls that matched the golden embroiders on her green dress. Bright green eyes stared at him with joy and pleasure at finally finding him. ( **This is the gender-bent of a character I made up in a different story. I didn't want to use a real character because I didn't want to insult any other ships or characters unnecessarily. You don't have to read the other story to get background, you'll figure it out pretty quickly.)**

Instantly he scooped her up in a hug, one she was happy to return. Hakuei couldn't believe it "Thomas, I can't believe you're here! What are you doing here?" Thomas laughed as he released her, trading the hug for a hold on his hands. They stood at arm length, with smiles on each of their faces. Kouha wanted to gag at the sight of it. Silently as they spoke, she slipped away into the crowd, deciding to go find some cute princes who knew how to party.

"My brother was invited here as a suitor. Secretly I suspect this is all a hoax for the queen of Sindria to get to know representatives from all her countries," Thomas revealed, not bothering to whisper. "But that's not important. I'm so glad you're here! It's been so long!" That thought was so absurd, he couldn't help from laughing.

"What are you talking about Thomas? We saw each other a month ago, at the meeting in Balbaad. Don't you remember?" if Hakuei had been paying more attention instead of focusing on his own happiness, he would have seen his friend visibly deflate.

But she perked up instantly. "That still is quite some time to not see such a good friend. So are you…here as a suitor?" Hakuei shrugged. Just as unsure as she was.

"I'm not positive. Possibly? I think my main job here is to keep my cousins in order. Dancing isn't my favourite thing to do," He admitted, gesturing to the dancefloor like it was his very own personal lava designed to kill him slowly. Thomas laughed, taking a lock of her hair and twirling it to the side.

"Yes, how could I forget? Any chance you'll promise to save me a dance this time?"

The idea wasn't on Hakuei's top list of enjoyable events, but he relented. "Sure! I'd like the chance to catch up!" Thomas beamed wider than before. If that was even possible. "Out of curiosity, how did you find me? This is quite a big place."

"I asked your cousin. Kougyoku. He's over by the bar." Hakuei felt all the blood drain from his face.

BY THE BAR? "Is he still there?" Actually, no. Hakuei didn't wait for an answer. Instead, just as Thomas opened her mouth, Hakuei darted away and scrambled towards the serving area. Anyone who had ever been to a party with Kougyoku knew to never let him stay by the bar for a long time.

Sure enough, Hakuei found him sitting with some princes at a table. Drunk. "Kougyoku!" The prince jumped up, not as quickly as he normally would. The other princes around him didn't even react, too busy with their conversations or drinks to even notice Hakuei's appearance.

Kougyoku smiled when Hakuei came over, sparkles in his eyes and his cheeks slightly pink. "Dear cousin, how are you? Are you enjoying the…" He paused. "Where are we again?" He resisted the urge to groan. Kougyoku was the one who tried to be well behaved at parties. If he was having problems, they were all doomed.

"How much did you drink?" He asked, snatching the drink away from Kougyoku. At first he tried to take the drink back, but quickly lost interest. His cheeks turned a brighter shade of red when he took a moment to think about it.

"I-I don't think I drank too much," Kougyoku tried to defend himself. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get drunk, I'm trying to be respectful. I only had three drinks, I didn't think it would be that strong. I-I can still walk!" To prove it, he struggled to his feet, but as he did he stumbled and Hakuei had to grab his arms to hold him up. "I-I'm sorry," He slurred, the redness in his face proving it was genuine. Or it was the alcohol.

"No Kougyoku, it's fine," Hakuei told him, closer to laughter than anger. "I know you aren't a heavy drinker. I should have warned you." Sindria was known to have alcohol from all over the known world. He should have guessed they would take out the strong stuff for a party. Kougyoku tried to stand on his own, but his vision was clouded. Hakuei steadied him as he led him to a table away from the bar. Forcing him to sit down, he quietly asked one of the servants nearby to make sure he didn't have anything else to drink. "Stay here, okay? Just wait till you're sure you can move around normally."

Sheepishly, he hurried to agree. "O-okay. I'm really sorry Hakuei."

"It's alright," Hakuei hurried to assure him. "You haven't done anything bad yet. As long as you," A loud crash and the sound of glass shattering cut him off. Hakuei didn't have to look back to know it was one of her brothers.

"Oh great," Hakuei groaned. "What now?"

* * *

"Sinbad?" With false innocence, the queen looked up.

"What?" Along with her, all the princes around her looked up as well. There were 7, or 8 if you counted the musician who came to pay her a visit. They all crowed around her like she was the sun and they were just humble planets begging for her warmth. Sinbad didn't seem to find any problem with it. She tilted her head at Jafar as casually as she would any other day. "Do you need something?"

Jafar was less than amused. "Your majesty, may I speak to you for a moment?" Sinbad nodded without delay.

"Of course." Placing her drink in the hands of a brunette male. "Hold onto this for me, would you Sarah?" She winked at him, and he was too flustered to tell her his name wasn't Sarah. With a flirtatious wave she strolled over to Jafar. As she reached her, she slipped herself an apple from a nearby table. "How can I help you my friend?" She asked, taking a large bite out of the apple.

Jafar's glare would have made an eagle jealous. "Sin, you realize this is a party to be considering suitors or at least getting to know future leaders of our allied countries. Can you at least pretend to be considering some of them?" Sinbad blinked ever so innocently.

"I am!" She pointed to the men who she had been talking to, all of them waiting impatiently for her return. "I was talking to them!"

Her friend knew her to better for that. "Oh yeah?" She raised an eyebrow. "How many of them are princes?"

The queen hesitated. "…7."

"What are their names?"

"Agatha, Bethany, Emma, and Cordellia…Brittany…Gillian…and Prince Amanda." Jafar nodded.

"Alright. How many of those names did you not make up?" Sinbad tried to defend herself, but Jafar cut her off. "You just called that one Sarah as you left." Sin paused. Then offered a sheepish smile, making Jafar sigh in exasperation. "My queen, I know this is a party, but please remember that this is a chance to get to know the countries that we are working with. You can't just go and do whatever you want all the time!"

"Sure I can," Sinbad argued. "It's my party. Don't worry Jafar," Sinbad ordered when she tried to argue. "I've got this under control. I've only had a few glasses of wine, and I swear I didn't do anything to them!" _Yet,_ Jafar added on in her head. "I know what I'm doing. Most of them are too mesmerized to realize I'm gathering information from them. What's wrong with having a little bit of fun while I'm at it?" She jumped up to sit on the edge of a set of stairs, her white and purple dress sliding up to reveal her sandals. "Besides," She added, glancing back to see the dancefloor underneath her. "There's nothing really important going on right now."

Just as she had finished, there was a crash underneath her. _So much for that,_ she thought.

Both of them spun around to see a pile of broken glasses, the wine that was in them spilling on the marble floor. A servant was standing there, frozen in surprise at his blunder. Matching the luck of a black cat the backlash of the wine splattering on the ground just happened to collide with Koulerie, the 5th prince of Kou. He stared down at his pants that had a giant splotch of red wine on one leg. And he didn't look very happy. "What is your problem?" he exclaimed, calling a crowd to the scene. "These are my royal cloaks!"

The servant bowed low to the ground, not caring about the amount of alcohol seeping on his clothes. "I-I'm very sorry sir. Please forgive me." Being forgiving was the last thing on Koulerie's mind.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to get these cleaned?" He exclaimed, stomping over to the servant in a rage. "How could you be so clumsy?" Sinbad didn't appreciate how the prince grabbed the servant, forcing him to his feet.

Her hand slowly moved to Focalor's metal vessel on her arm. "He had better not be threatening a servant in my kingdom." Jafar said nothing, glaring down at the scene below in disgust. If she didn't know Sinbad could handle it, she would have gone down there herself.

Sinbad didn't even get the chance. "Koulerie!" Sinbad's attention shot to another prince, grabbing Kouleries arm and yanking him back. The servant stumbled a bit, but was otherwise alright.

Koulerie's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief at the other boys actions. "Hakuei, don't get involved! This is my fight!" He pushed Hakuei back, nearly making him fall on the glass. Instinctively Jafar started forward. A hand shot out, stopping her in her tracks. Wide black eyes shot to stare at Sinbad in shock, but Sinbad's golden eyes showed no doubt. She didn't understand her queen's wishes, but Sinbad simply turned away from her, watching the scene unfold with curiosity. Jafar wanted her to get more information on the people visiting her country? There was no better way to learn than when they didn't know they were being judged.

Hakuei struggled, but was able to regain his footing quickly. He held his ground, keeping his position in between Koulerie and the man behind him. "Koulerie, calm down. It's just some wine, you have a change of clothes back on your ship. Don't go fighting useless battles." But Kouleries temper wouldn't let him walk away that easily.

"Since when were you the boss of me? Back off, you aren't higher than me anymore!" Sinbad raised his eyebrow, wondering what that meant. Koulerie stepped closer, trying to look intimidating against Hakuei's stature, who stood a few inches shorter.

All he succeeded in was looking like a fool. "Koulerie, it's a party. Just let it go and move on. You want to have a good time, he just wants to do his job. You're making a scene, and I really doubt that's going to set a good impression for whoever you're going to try and impress tonight." His face scrunched up. He wanted to get angry. He wanted to get mad, start a fight. But Hakuei's tone was soothing, and despite his best efforts, it was hard to not see it from his point of view. Leaning forward, Hakuei lowered his voice so the rest of their viewers couldn't hear.

"Just walk away Koulerie now."

For a moment none of them moved. The other guests watched in fascination, wondering what would happen next. Koulerie didn't want to leave. His pride had been damaged, he wasn't about to just walk away. Sinbad's eyes were trained on both of them, mentally preparing in case he had to step in. Nearby the other princes of Kou watched, hoping Koulerie would start a fight, add to the entertainment. Hakuryuu tried to push herself to the front, trying to rush to her brother's aid. The silence seemed endless.

Finally, Koulerie took a quick step back. Then another. Hakuei let out a sigh of relief, assuming that Koulerie was done.

He wasn't.

Just as Hakuei was about to turn around, Koulerie grabbed a spare glass of wine and splattered the liquid all over Hakuei. Some of the guests gasped as Hakuei stumbled back, trying to wipe the liquid out of his eyes. "There," Koulerie smirked while trying to hold back laughter. "Now we are done."

Hakuei glared at him, but said nothing. Around them, some of the princes, princesses and other guests from various reactions. Most of them looked surprised by the whole endeavor. A few of them smirked, some laughed at the whole show. Most of Hakuei's brothers were among them. Koulerie, with a sense of false pride, spun on his heels and swaggered off into the crowd, picking up the two dancers he'd been talking to earlier. Slowly, the crowd started to part, people returning to their own devices. Leaving Hakuei with wine all over him. Sinbad kept her eyes on him. Unlike the others, she knew the show wasn't over yet.

Wiping the majority away from his face, he calmly turned to the servant. He was still on his knees, trying to pick up the large pieces of glass that had fallen. To the man's surprise, Hakuei got down on his knees in front of him. "I'm sorry about my cousin sir," he apologized. "Are you alright?" At first the man was too stunned to answer, but quickly he nodded.

"Y-Yes sir. I am alright sir, thank you for asking." Hakuei frowned, unconvinced.

"Are you sure? Here, let me help." He went on to help him clean up the mess, despite the servant insisting he could handle it. The conversation started to disappear into the crowd, losing all focus and leaving Sinbad oblivious to what they said. But she still watched. A smile tugged at her lips.

"Who's that one?" Jafar raised her eyebrow at Sinbad, but she wasn't even paying any attention. Her eyes were on Hakuei, with glass in his hands and drops of wine on his pants. A smile on his face as he made the servant chuckle nervously. She liked his sea-blue eyes.

Her friend seemed to understand. Waving her hand she gestured toward Yamu, who nearly tripped over his long robe when he tried to escape his friends. He gave Jafar a set of papers before slipping back to fighting with Sharkkon. "Let's see…Hakuei, was it?" Jafar flipped the papers around. "The only Hakuei here is…one from Kou…The other one was Koulerie, 5th prince of kou…Oh." Raising an eyebrow he glanced over at the prince as he helped the servant finish cleaning up. "It says here…He's not an option as one of the suitors." That was enough to get her attention.

As she turned, her hair tied up flicked around. "What? Why not?" Jafar continued to look through the papers, but she found the details unhelpful.

"Remember that the previous empress of Kou died a while ago? That is her only son, the only one not related to the current emperor's wife. They gave that as an explanation to him not being eligible. I'm sorry Sinbad, but it doesn't look like he's here to look for a relationship." Even as Jafar said it, she regretted it. The smile on Sinbad's lips only got wider.

"I'll be the judge of that."

 **Cliff-hanger! This is a two-part story, or possibly more. Haven't decided yet. Anyway, hope you read the next half!**


	4. Chapter 4 Sinful Sinbad

Sinful Sinbad

 **This one is inspired by another fanfic, but I'm not sure what it is called…? It's a death note one I'm pretty sure…Or X-men… Or both… Set as if the Kou ark never happened. (I wish it didn't.)**

 **Pride**

Pride, if Sinbad had to pick one, was probably his worst sin. People said it was the mother of all sins. Each sin somehow branched from it. Humans thought they were better than others, and that was why they deserved more than most. They didn't have to work as much, got more food, they were allowed to act out, want what they want, do whatever they want. Sinbad didn't think he took it that far. He didn't think he deserved more than anyone else. At least, not consciously. Sometimes he thought he was better than others, but he tried to keep that in check. It was harder to do that for him than most.

"You are such a great king! The country you have built is spectacular!"

"Oooh, Sin, you are sooo handsome! Let me go next!"

"How did you capture that many dungeons? That's amazing!"

He tried not to get a big head. He really did. If it weren't for his generals (And his enemies if he was willing to admit it) He would have been a lot cockier than he already was. Ever since he'd become a king, very few people brought his pride down to size.

Hakuei was one of them.

"I don't trust you."

Her response was so blatantly honest Sinbad didn't know how to respond right away. Hakuei tipped her head to the side ever so slightly, waiting for his reply. Just enough for her raven dark hair to slip just a tiny bit, enough for Sinbad to notice the blue tinge to it. His first thought when he'd seen her was she was quite a beautiful young woman. His first impression hadn't been wrong.

Kouen closed his eyes, coming to Sinbad's rescue. "What my cousin means to say is that she will agree to the treaty conditions." Hakuei frowned, turning to face her cousin.

"No, that is not what I meant to say. I meant that I don't trust him. Just because I am agreeing to a treaty with his country doesn't mean I have to trust his king." Officials around them, various parties from Kou, all glanced at each other in confusion. Like they expected it to all be a prank, and why wasn't Hakuei laughing and saying she was sorry yet? But the princess didn't budge. Her glare sent chills up Sinbad's spine. He'd had to deal with a similar reaction from Kougyoku last he saw her, but at least she pretended to be alright with it. The elder princess was different that way.

From behind, an advisor from kou wearing a similar garb to the one Kouban wore slipped forward. "P-princess Hakuei," he muttered, trying to be silent but couldn't stop the others from hearing him. "Might I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself?" Hakuei's eyes narrowed, and she turned so she could catch the advisors eyes.

"No, I do not think that is appropriate. If we are truly to be allied with him as well as his country, is it not in our best interest to be honest with each other?" The advisor shivered back into the crowd. Hakuei turned again, catching Sinbad's eye. She refused to break eye contact, her bright blue eyes holding the depth and determination of any warrior.

"I do not trust you. The only times I heard of you directly in the past was from Judal, Kougyoku and my brother Hakuryuu. Judal said he wanted you to be his king, and knowing Judal that makes me wonder what kind of a person you are. Hakuryuu praised you, but the way he spoke of you made me wonder if you were really a friend or just another king trying to use him. Kougyoku…well, I suppose you would have known what she would have said. The first time I saw you was when you were about to battle my siblings to gain control of a country, and though it didn't come to that, I truly doubt that you would have had a problem with hurting the people I care about. I have not heard a positive thing about you that can lead to me trusting you. While you are powerful you are also conniving, deceitful and overall a very suspicious man. The people from your country and mine are innocent, and that is the only reason I will sign the treaty so that they don't have to go to war. I do not trust you, I doubt that I ever will, and despite the treaty I hope I never have to work with you directly in the future." Sinbad didn't respond. He wasn't entirely sure how he could. He hadn't faced a situation like that in a while.

The eldest prince, Kouen, must have known that it was a lost cause. With a sigh he took out the paper and got the pen ready. "Is that all you have to declare cousin?"

The princess nodded. "Yes."

He held out the paper. Hakuei took it quickly and put down her signature before she could change her mind. Kouen glanced over the paper, making sure it was legitimate before nodding to dismiss her. She and her soldiers bowed politely, before turning and following Hakuei out of the room. She didn't as much as glance at Sinbad as she left. If she had, she would have seen his eyes following her every move, even after she left the tent.

Not many people were able to make the king of Sindria speechless.

 **Sloth**

Lazy? Of all the sins, that wasn't one of his bigger ones. He didn't build his own country by saying he only needed 'a few more minutes.' There was too much to do! When it came to paperwork, he wasn't going to lie. He would put that off for as long as humanly possible before Jafar had to hunt him down and drag him to the office. But when it came to things important to him, his country, allies or friends, it didn't matter how early or late it was. Sin would do whatever it took to make sure everyone was alright. Even after his country had been made he worked constantly to continue and build on more than just his country, but the world. Sinbad tried not to sleep more than he needed.

One morning however, he considered it.

What time was it? Late. Very, very, very late. Even in his dream he knew he should get up. He was in that stage where he was starting to realize that it was a dream, and he'd better get up soon. Just at the end, if Yamu's studies on dreams had been correct. He didn't know what time it was, but he knew he had to wake up. But that morning, the dream was harder to leave.

He was somewhere in Kou. That much he could understand. The building and architecture were unique only to Kou. Said buildings stood in the distance, a little ways from where he sat on a plain of grass. Somehow there was no one around him. Just a random patch in the middle of a city. Any venues or little shops were miles away from where he sat. It was a dream, it didn't care about his opinions on right and wrong or how the world worked. In the dream, Sinbad was lounging around, leaning back as his hands supported him. There was an ocean in front of him, even though he knew there were no oceans that close to Kou's palace. But he didn't question it. Weird or not, it was a relaxing dream.

"You should be getting back to the palace," a voice from behind him said. He blinked, then turned to face the vision walking up to him. Even before he did he knew it was Hakuei Ren. In the dream her blue eyes were sparkling, her hair let down for the first time Sinbad had seen. She was wearing a long sleeveless dress he KNEW she would never wear in real life.

But he couldn't take his eyes off her.

Now, Sinbad knew it was a dream. The princess of Kou and him were not on close terms. She didn't trust him. Sometimes he wondered if she hated him. Considering how the relationship between their two countries was so tense, he doubted that would ever change. Until that dream, he never thought he'd cared too much. Sure she'd crossed his mind more often than he would admit. But he'd immediately assumed that had been because he had been planning on getting her on his side.

It hadn't occurred to him that he'd been thinking of her as more than just an ally.

A smile crept up on his lips as she stepped next to him, silently slipping down to sit on the green grass. She leaned against him, resting her head on his chest. If he wasn't sure he was dreaming before, he was CERTAIN he was then. Going with it, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. Her hair was soft as he nuzzled it gently with his cheek. Hakuei blushed a little, but didn't pull away.

Tipping her head up, she met his eyes. "You should wake up Sinbad. You're going to be late." He blinked at her. Late? Wow, even his dream was telling him to wake up.

"Maybe in a bit," he purred. Leaning down he playfully kissed her on the cheek. She giggled, trying to slip away.

"Y-you've got to get up Sinbad. You're wasting daylight." Sinbad chuckled, using his other arm to grab her legs and swing her around so she was on his lap. She gasped, but didn't pull away. Unlike what the real Hakuei would have done.

"Not just yet," He muttered, leaning closer so he could whisper in hear ear. "I've still got a lot of things I'd like to do with you.

The princess's face turned bright red. "I, ah…"

Sinbad was not lazy.

On the other hand, sleeping in one day never hurt anyone.

 **Gluttony**

Food? Sure, Sinbad liked food. Who didn't like food? People need it to live. Sinbad liked living. It was one of his favourite things. He loved fish. Greasy food wasn't his favourite. Alcohol was his weakness, but he wasn't sure that would be put in the same category. Jafar would have put it down as a sin when Sinbad was concerned.

A day a few weeks after his dream that he'd come to both feel equally guilty for and hope that it would come back, he ran into Hakuryuu on his way to lunch. More like got tackled when Hakuryuu was running and didn't see him.

"S-sorry King Sinbad! My apologies!" He hurried to help him up, Jafar and Spartos as well. He bowed quickly. "I hope you are alright. Now I-I really must be going." Before he could escape Sinbad grabbed his arm.

"What's wrong Hakuryuu? Where's the fire?" he looked like his soul was going to be sucked out of his body if he didn't get away as soon as possible.

"I'm having lunch with my elder sister, Judal and Kougyoku. Hakuei suggested she should cook." Sinbad hadn't been in Kou that long. He didn't know the Kou family very intimately. But after only a few days, he'd heard enough rumors to understand that was a bad thing. "I've got to hurry over and convince her I'll cook before she gets the chance."

The thought of seeing Hakuei was enough of an encouragement for Sinbad to come along.

He and his two generals followed Hakuryuu over to one of the smaller kitchens that was mostly used just for people who liked to cook. They found the three of them, Judal sitting on a table and Kougyoku looked absolutely terrified. To make it worse, Hakuei was holding a plate filled with….No one knew what. She turned around to face them with a smile on her face. "Ah, brother! You got here just in time! I've just finished a delicacy that is famous from," She stopped herself when she saw Sinbad. Her smile fell as quickly as it had appeared. "Oh. You brought company."

He tried for a charming smile. "Surprise!" She didn't return it.

Hakuryuu became so pale Sinbad thought he was going to faint. "Hakuei, I thought you…d-didn't Judal tell you that I was going to cook lunch today?" All of them turned to face the magi of the hour.

Judal shrugged carelessly, taking a quick bite out of his peach. "What can I do? She wanted to cook." The amusement in his eyes said he hadn't tried very hard.

Rushing over Hakuryuu tried to grab the plate from her hands. "T-thank you for trying sister, but I insist on cooking. There's this new recipe I've wanted to try from…um…"

"Sindria?" Sinbad offered helpfully, saving them both. That helped Hakuryuu with his dilemma as well as explained why Sinbad had come along. To Jafar and Spartos as well. When Jafar raised his eyebrows at his king however, he wondered just how much he knew about how often the princess he was supposed to be ignoring had crossed his mind.

"Perfect," Judal interrupted, returning all the attention to him again. "Hakuei was trying to cook a Sindrian delicacy as well. So there's no difference then." Sinbad raised an eyebrow. Had he heard that right? With a smirk he tried to catch Hakuei's eye, but she wouldn't look at him. Usually she was so good at keeping eye contact. That just proved she was hiding something. Why would she be trying to cook something from his country specifically? That may have been his pride talking.

Her brother shook his head, again trying to take the food…disaster…from his sister. "It was cool to try, but don't worry, I'll handle it." He was an inch away before Hakuei snatched it out of his reach.

"Why? I'm almost done with the fish." THAT'S what it was? Sinbad had thought it was a cow or an attempt at spaghetti. "Why don't you try it? It's not that bad, honest. It just looks weird." All kou residents in the room held their breaths hoping she would take it back. Judal took another bite out of his peach, eyes wide in anticipation. Sinbad could almost hear his thoughts. _This is going to be good._

"Uh…" Hakuryuu mumbled, trying to think of some kind of excuse. "I…I'm not really up for it, how about…"

"I'll try it."

All eyes turned to him. Judal dropped his peach he was so shocked. "W…What?" Sinbad turned to Kougyoku who was had backed away from him like he'd lost his mind. "Are you crazy? Why would you do that?" Even Hakuei looked surprised.

But for the first time, she didn't look angry when she saw him.

"Sinbad! Do you want to die?" It took him a moment to think about that. He glanced at the food in front of him. Then back up at Princess Hakuei's sparkling blue eyes.

Worth it.

 **Wrath**

To be a good dungeon capturer, Sinbad had to have some wrath. If he didn't know how to fight, he wouldn't have captures all of the dungeons he had. But all things considered, he knew he had a good control over his strength. He'd never lashed out on a friend violently or tried to attack someone just because he'd felt like it. All his battles and violence had a reason. A plan behind it. He never acted out rashly when he shouldn't have.

"Such an arrogant princess does not deserve to be a queen!"

Of course, to every rule, there was always that one exception.

As Sinbad, Jafar and Masrur were on their way to discuss a matter with the Kou brothers when they heard the yelling from the courtyard. There was Hakuei standing with some of the Kouga tribe members with what looked like a prisoner and some guards holding him back. His beard was long, and judging from the look of his clothes and the crazed look in his eyes, he'd been a prisoner for a while. Sinbad didn't recognize the man, but Hakuei seemed to. Her expression was sour, but her face was set in a tight line of hardly maintained control.

Call him strange, but it was nice to see she hated others more than him. It gave him hope.

"The man's name is Ryosai from what I've heard," Sinbad overheard Jafar whispering to Masrur behind him. "A previous soldier who worked under the princess. According to Aladdin, he tried to kill her and take over her army in the process. He was brought into custody with Aladdin's help, likely kept in the dungeons waiting for a judgment on his punishment. Since he's being brought out like this, I'm assuming they decided." Sinbad wondered what they'd decided. Trying to overthrow a princess was likely a heavy crime, especially in a place like the Kou Empire. A country that but much value into respect and dignity.

From the way Ryosai was reacting, he hadn't gotten the memo. "What a joke! You are too naïve to lead any real army into battle!" He screamed. The only thing holding him back was the two guards grabbing his arms. Their faces were strained, showing it was harder than it looked. There was spit coming from his mouth with every word, making him look more like an animal than a person. "The only reason you sent me here is because you were threatened by my power, isn't that right? You knew I was stronger than you, but you were too selfish and proud to admit it!" he spat, some of the spit splashing on one of her soldier's faces. He hurried to wipe it away with a disgusted face.

Somehow, Hakuei was able to keep her calm under his attacks. "You were brought to the prisons for trying to enslave the Kouga tribe, cause a war between the Kou Empire and their tribe as well as attempting to kill me and the soldiers who remained at my side. You are here for your actions and yours alone Ryosai. Blaming someone else will not change that." But Ryosai wouldn't accept that as he fought against his bond trying to get free. Trying to get to her.

Sinbad frowned. Jafar noticed it out of the corner of his eye. "Shall we get closer to inspect the situation Sinbad?"

They walked over to the crowd, Sinbad in the lead. As they approached, he caught Hakuei's eye. For a moment she looked surprised, but hurried to hide the expression. Sinbad hoped it wasn't just his imagination when he noticed a tinge of red on her cheeks. When her expression changed, Ryosai turned to see who was coming.

When he recognized him, to Sinbad's surprise, his face brightened.

"The king of Sindria! If you won't listen to me, perhaps you'll listen to someone higher than you!" Say what? Ryosai turned to him, easily fighting the struggling guards behind him. They weren't doing their job very well. "King Sinbad," He began, ignoring Jafar and Masrur moving to defend their king. "Wouldn't you agree with me in saying that someone as naïve and foolish as this princess shouldn't be a general? Don't you think that a spoiled princess couldn't understand the depths of war? Weren't you the one who said he would never let a lady fight?" Sinbad felt the blood drain from his face.

Snap. His past words were coming back to haunt him.

How had he even heard that?

Hakuei's eyes narrowed, looking almost sad at the idea. Ryosai's eyes were filled with hope, the exact opposite of what he wanted to see. He knew he had to say something quick.

"…I don't believe a woman who does not know how to fight should go into battle," Sinbad explained carefully. "Just as much as any man, child or magician who does not have the skills should not fight when they don't know how. But from what I have seen, princess Hakuei is fully capable of fighting in battles that only a select few would be capable of surviving. Just recently at the battle of magnustand, she fought bravely among the other princes of Kou and dungeon capturers of other countries." Risking a pause, he glanced over at Hakuei.

Though she tried to hide it, he could tell she was beaming on the inside. When she caught his eye she gave him a quick nod, one he interpreted as a thank you. He was just happy she was actually happy to see him for once.

"You took my words out of context," Sinbad explained, turning back to the prisoner, whose hopeful expression was being crushed easily. "When I had said that, it was because the woman with me either couldn't fight, or I hadn't known that she could. Princess Hakuei can, and judging from the power that her army has, I'd say she has done a tremendous job at it." Ryosai looked dumbfounded at his words. He looked absolutely stunned, as well as humiliated in front of the crowd they had gathered.

Just when Sinbad thought Ryosai was going to leave without a fight, he bared his teeth in anger. "Then you are a fool as well! She cannot fight! All she does is make allies with useless peasants and try to talk instead of going into battle!" Spinning around he turned on Hakuei again, who quickly hardened her expression. "A spoilt princess like you. Assume you can do whatever you want because you were lucky enough to be born into a special family. Without your title you are nothing and you know it. Nothing!" With his words he fought back stronger than before. As he did one of the guards stumbled backwards, losing his grip on the prisoner.

With the stumble, he was able to free one arm.

"You are nothing you little wench!" He yelled, grabbing the sleeve of her dress. It tore apart with a resounding rip that echoed through the halls. Hakuei's eyes had widened in shock, and some of the servants around them gasped and dropped whatever they were doing. Jafar's mouth dropped open in surprise, and even Masrur looked shocked. Their king hardly noticed their expressions.

Sinbad's hand was already on his sword.

Later, his friends told him that the prisoner was going to be okay.

Mostly.

 **Envy**

As stated before, pride was one of Sinbad's greatest problems. What others didn't have, he usually did. Unless he didn't want what they had. Most of the time, Sinbad had no reason to be envious of anyone.

But man, did his head burn when he saw her with that BOY.

Seisyuun was his name if Hakuryuu hadn't lied to him. Her first household vessel user and second in command. Sinbad understood that their relationship wasn't romantic in any sense. They were loyal friends, who had worked together for years. There was nothing beyond friendship for either of them.

That made it even worse.

See, lovers could go away. They could fall out of love if the feelings weren't strong enough, they could be separated by her country if they worried she was getting to close, someone in the future who was in a relationship with one of them could demand that they stop seeing the other out of worry for their own relationship. If it had been a romantic relationship, Sinbad was confident he could have won her over. That may have been his pride talking, but he didn't want to admit he may be wrong.

But FRIENDS.

You couldn't get rid of a friend. They were there forever.

It wasn't that he felt threatened. He knew there was nothing there to make him worry. But they were just so close! Every time Sinbad saw the two of them together, his fists would clench when he was reminded how much closer he was to her than him. Even if he did get close to her, he couldn't just make those years and experiences that she'd shared with him and not Sinbad go away. A friend would have seen a side of her he would never get to see, and Seisyuun had been around long enough to see more than any of her soldiers.

And her SOLDIERS. Do not even get him started on her soldiers.

Why did they get to occupy her time so often? Why did they get to live only a tent away from her while traveling? How come they were allowed to go on adventures and missions with her and they all speak as if they were long lost cousins? How could he even try and get that close to her?

As Sinbad watched her sitting with Seisyuun and a few of her soldiers at a party, those thoughts invaded his mind like a poison, conquering his every thought and feeling.

Sharrkon, who sat at his side, tried to cheer him up. "Come on my king! What's going on with you? You are usually the life of the party!" The king barely heard him. His eyes were trained on the table a ways below them. The princess's expression as she listened to one of her soldiers tell a story. How it lit up when Seisyuun did something funny. How annoyed he felt when he knew he could count the number of times she'd looked that happy around him on one hand.

His friend looked genuinely concerned at his lack of attention. "Come on Sin. Have a drink! Or better yet, let's go find a girl you'll like! The country of Kou is filled with beautiful women!" As if to make his point, he waved over one girl with long red hair. She skipped over to them, her face brightened when she saw him. He knew better than to fall for it. She'd been circling them for a while. Even while in his trance he could tell that. Sharkkon moved over so the girl could squeeze next to Sinbad, wrapping her arms around his to get his attention. Sharkkon laughed, assuming Sinbad would enjoy it. "There you go! Have fun for a bit!" Sinbad glanced over at the girl, automatically giving her a smile. Her face turned sly as she started fingering at his cloak. Part of him wanted to just go along with it and forget the beauty at another table.

With other people.

Not him.

Only then did he noticed princess Hakuei watching him.

Sinbad looked up to catch her eye, but she quickly turned away, embarrassed. Scooting away from the group she quickly excused herself with some excuse Sinbad couldn't hear. Slipping away she headed out to the edge of the party over by where many of the ships were docked. Sinbad knew it had been a good idea to hold the party outside of Kou's capital.

Pushing the girl off of him, he followed the path she took. When he finally found her, she was sitting next to the docks. Her eyes were trained on the ocean beyond them, and the spot where the water met the sky. Somewhere Sinbad had been trying to reach his entire life by had never gotten there yet. One day perhaps.

"Enjoying the view princess?" She nearly jumped into the sea she was so surprised. When she turned to face him she had a pout on her face. Pout as in not an angry or hoping Sinbad would die look. He was making progress.

"Are you spying on me king Sinbad?"

The King raised an eyebrow. "Depends. Were you spying on me?" Hakuei bit her lip for a moment, then turned away without answering. Interesting.

"The view is nice. I don't get to see the ocean much in my line of work." At first he didn't understand why a general would not be near the ocean, but then he remembered Hakuei's regiment and soldiers were all landmarked. The Kouga tribe was best at fighting on land, so he doubted they went near the ocean when they didn't have to.

With a tilt of her head she gestured to a ship a little ways away. "That's the ship that we brought to get here. It took us much longer than the rest of Kou's troops to get here. No one really knew how to steer a boat, and we were continuously getting lost at sea."

"Perhaps you need a good teacher," Sinbad offered. "Someone who knows the sea better than your soldiers do." For a moment, Sinbad wondered if she would get the hint. Or if she did, would she even accept it? But she tilted her head, thinking about it for a moment.

"How about…you teach me some time," Hakuei suggested, trying to look brave instead of embarrassed and nervous. "My soldiers are used to horseback riding, but they are not skilled at how to steer a boat. They are used to being on land…That is, if you ever have the chance, I'd like to learn." Though he didn't have to, he pretended to think about it. Time alone with the princess. Something that her soldiers and Seisyuun couldn't do.

The king smiled at the thought of having a connection with her they couldn't reach.

 **Lust**

Now lust. THAT was a feeling he could relate to. He'd lusted over more people than he'd be willing to admit. It was an easy temptation to fall into. There were few women who had ever refused him which made it even easier. It was his favourite one, so much so that he hardly considered it a sin anymore. He knew that the feeling itself wasn't a sin, but wrong course of action was. Sinbad acted on it many, many times. Often he'd later forget about it. After a few days he wouldn't even remember who it had been. It had become something fun to do.

But Hakuei. Oh how his blood boiled whenever she came around.

The only problem was, unlike the other times, he doubted he would be able to act on it anytime soon. While Hakuei had finally started to warm up to him, she still claimed she did not trust him and did not want to work with him on any matter of importance. Once he'd tried to hold her hands so he could show her how to steer, and despite his honest intentions (Mostly) she yelped and he nearly fell off the boat in her surprise. After that she got suspicious whenever he was more than two feet close to her.

It was aggravating. Sometimes he thought she was doing it on purpose. That she hadn't really let her hair down that day because she wanted to try a new style, but to give Sinbad another reason to stare at her. That she hadn't worn that dress because it was too hot outside, but for Sinbad to have to practice his self-restraint against his will. She was torturing him. She had to be doing it on purpose. There was no other explanation.

But he couldn't tell. She acted to innocent, oblivious to any kind of romantic intentions. A few times he'd tried to flirt with her, but she'd just give him a blank look like he was from another world. The clothes she wore were never anything more than the regulated clothes for a princess, unless you counted her djinn equip. All her actions and intentions were strictly business, or friendship at the most. Sinbad wondered if she'd ever cared about someone in a romantic way…ever.

"My country wants me to marry," She told him out of the blew one day. Sinbad had been so surprised he'd nearly fallen off the docks they were sitting on and into the water.

"They do?" Sinbad asked, quickly composing himself. Hakuei nodded, pretending not to notice his blunder.

"For a while they had not considered marrying me for any form of alliance because I was not the daughter of the latest emperor. But now that I'm into my 20's they decided they should hand me off in marriage soon before I reach thirty." She sighed, turning off the stare out into the ocean longingly.

"…I can tell by your town you don't want to?" _Please be right, please be right, please be right._

Thank all the stars, she nodded. "It's not that I have anything against marriage, but I know of the people they would choose for me to marry. Many of them would not approve of me being a general, while others would just say that in order to get control over my army. Princess's here are thought to be nothing more than figureheads for the country, and not many would object." Sinbad hadn't considered that. Hakuei was such an outstanding general, he didn't think anyone would be foolish enough to even consider something like that.

"Perhaps you should marry someone who would fight alongside you," Sinbad suggested.

Hakuei let out a cheerful laugh. "If you find someone like that, I'd be happy to." With a sigh, her spirits died. "I don't believe every general here in Kou would do such a thing. Just the ones on the list are known for such actions. That's why marriage never crossed my mind too often. In a way, I had been relieved when they'd told me there was no reason for me to marry. No one really liked me enough for me to even consider it."

Again, Sinbad nearly fell into the water.

"No one really liked you?" Sinbad couldn't believe that. She was much more oblivious than he thought. That, or something was very, very wrong with the country he was beginning to regret making an alliance with. They had to be crazier than he thought to think that.

When Hakuei turned to stare at him, and he realized his reaction had been wrong. "No, I wasn't one of those girls that knew how to flirt or learned how to makeup. Instead I learned how disarm an enemy and go undercover if necessary. You don't need to laugh at me for not being very popular or desirable." Actually, the thought of Hakuei going undercover sounded very desirable to him. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of costumes she'd have to wear. And if she still had them.

That may not have been the thing to ask about that time.

Before she could decide to leave he changed his answer. "That's not what I meant. I wasn't laughing, I was surprised." Hakuei glared at him, and he could tell he was in deep trouble. Great, and just when she was finally starting to not HATE him. "Do you honestly think you could be anything but attractive?" He had to ask. It was border lining dangerous territory there, but he was too surprised to ask.

Again, wrong move. She crossed her arms across her chest. Did she think he was trying to get out of trouble? Well, he was, but he wasn't in trouble in the first place. "What about me is so attractive then? If there is anything of course."

If there was anything?

Sinbad's eyes roamed over her against his will. Sort of against his will. He took in her long dark hair that he'd imagined was soft if he were to run his hand through it. The blue eyes like the sea he'd sworn to explore. The curve of her mouth that was naturally as red as blood.

…Bad analogy.

Moving his hand, he slipped it around so it was supporting him behind her. Hakuei's eyes widened in surprise as he leaned closer, closing the distance between them. "U-um…" She hesitated, trying to move away. But she wasn't quick enough. His eyes locked onto hers, slowly moving down to her lips.

"I could name a few if you'd like," he whispered so that only she could hear him. "I'd like to know a few more if you'd let me." Attractive? More than that.

Lust was the hardest sin to resist.

As Sinbad tried to lean in, Hakuei jumped away before he could get to close. "K-king Sinbad, I ah…I-I get your point, you don't have to do that." rushing to her feet she hurried away from him, and Sinbad regretted his actions quickly.

"Hakuei, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you!" Hakuei relaxed slightly, but not enough to come back. Instead she just turned and waved to him goodbye.

"Thank you for listening," Hakuei told him. Her smile was sweet, but it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted more than a smile.

Hakuei, clearly, did not have a problem with lust. Given the position she was in and how strict official attitudes in public, he doubted she'd ever had much experience with it.

That was something he should change.

 **Greed**

When Sinbad wanted something, he got it. That much never changed.

And Sinbad wanted Hakuei.

"Hey Hakuei?"

"Hmm? Yes King Sinbad?"

"You still up for getting married?"


	5. Chapter 5 Hakuei and the Beast

Hakuei and the beast

 **This story is a mix of the Disney version as well as the original story.**

A long time ago there was a kingdom called Sindria. It was a small little kingdom, but endless in power and magnitude. The land had many people from all over the world, and as decades passed more and more would come to join the kingdom themselves. It was a place of great joy and happiness for all of its hardworking citizens. Protected by its generals and lead happily with each king to the next. It was a truly magical place to live.

But like in any good fairy-tale, things had to go wrong. And the reason things went wrong for this little country was because of their 19th king.

Let's call him Sinbad.

Now Sinbad started off like any good hero would. Heroic, chivalrous, a sense of adventure. He wanted to rule the kingdom just as justly and wisely as his father had. When he started, his intentions had been honourable. But as the years of his reign went on, his power got greater. He expanded his kingdom in ways its citizens hadn't even begun to image, and they loved him for it. Sinbad was the great king. Sinbad was the king they all wanted to have. He was the man everyone looked up to, only to catch a glimpse of his splendor.

And Sinbad knew it.

And with all that power, his heart began to grow cold.

One day, during the party to celebrate the kings 24th birthday, a visitor came to his country. This man called himself Yunan. "My king," the old man said to the king as his generals. "I have seen the kingdom you have led. It truly is quite an honourable one, I've never seen anything like it. But I wonder if you are truly worthy of ruling this great place." The people around them all turned to each other in confusion. They thought Sinbad was the best leader they'd ever had. Some of them laughed at the idea that there could be anyone more worthy than Sinbad himself.

"Please do not be offended," Yunan said. "I only wish to know the truth." Out what seemed to be thin air, the traveller pulled out a golden lamp. "This lamp can show someone their true heart whether good or bad. If the person is pure of heart, the lamp will grant the chosen person power beyond their wildest dreams."

Sinbad, greedy for power, was greatly intrigued. "What does it do for someone not pure of heart?" His closest friend asked, the more cautious of the two. Let's say he was called Jafar.

"For the impure of heart, a terrible curse will befall that man as well as the people around him." Some of his friends told him to not take the risk. If it would hurt the kingdom, no matter the potential rewards, it was not worth it. But Sinbad had no doubt in his mind that he was worthy of being their leader. There was no one greater than him in all his kingdom. Without a second to spare, King Sinbad snatched the lamp from the traveller and rubbed the side.

What was revealed was a circle filled with both white and black.

"Half a pure heart" the traveller explained. "But also half a heart tainted with evil."

With a flash, the curse began. Dark shadows swirled around Sinbad's skin, creating designs all over his body. Pitch black swirls tattooed his skin, turning half of his tanned skin an unnatural shade of darkness. "The darkness that you have worked so hard to hide will be worn on you for as long as the curse remains," The traveller explained. But the curse on the king wasn't the only power the curse had. The curse ran rampant through the kingdom. It shrunk the kingdom in size until it was only one castle. Citizens that were caught in its wake were sent far away, back to the kingdoms they had come from with no memory of the great land of Sindria. Generals, servants and anyone who lived in the palace all shrunk, becoming the size of dolls.

Sinbad spun around, facing what was left of his kingdom and friends in horror. "What have you done?" He exclaimed.

"This is what you have done," The traveller explained. "This is a result of your greed, carelessness and lies. Your heart is too dark, your soul unclean. Your pride has made you see yourself as a hero, but now your flaws lie on your skin so they cannot be hidden. A man like you may be praised, but when it comes to the soul, you are not a person who could be loved." The king would not accept this. He ran to his castle, exclaiming that he would rebuild his kingdom to be better than before, despite the curse they were under. The few friends who had stayed pleaded with the traveller to reverse what he had done. The traveller took pity on the young people, and decided to make the curse reversible.

"The curse can be broken," Yunan had said "By one simple task may the curse be lifted from all of you, and your kingdom will be free."

"Someone must fall in love with the man of only half a heart."

* * *

A few years later in a little town a ways away there lived a family of four. Two elder brothers, one youngest brother and one middle sister. The family of four had fled from their previous town after their mother had killed their father, then been put into prison for her crimes. Despite the tragedy that the family came from, they lived in peace in the village. They owned a small farm a ways away from town. The children were all very intelligent, and were able to easily make ends meet with what they had. They did not wish for lavish things, and instead relished in the privacy and peace of the countryside.

The eldest brother was named Hakuyuu. He was highly respected in the village, a mapmaker, mathematician and philosopher. Many of the villager's leaders would come to him in times of need.

The second eldest brother was named Hakuren. While he was respected, many people did not admire him as much. He was much more spirited than his siblings, as well as an inventor. Rumors went around that the sibling was a loon, but he paid no mind.

The youngest brother was fairly quiet compared to the others. A shy boy, yet a very hard worker. He kept a close group of friends, and had very few enemies.

But the hero of our story is not one of these characters. Our hero was the third sibling, a women named Hakuei.

Many in the village knew Hakuei. Not by association, but were able to recognize the young girl as she went through town. Hakuei had hair as dark as a ravens feathers unable to ignore. Her skin was fair, and lips as red as roses. Blue eyes like sapphires made it impossible to ignore her as she walked by. She was beautiful physically as well as mentally. The girl was kind to all she met, greeting them all with a sweet smile. The only thing they knew that was odd about her was that she often distanced herself from the world around her. Hakuei dreamed of adventures and far off lands, beyond the pages in the books she read. Even with her big heart and genuine kindness, the poor girl could find no one in her little village to understand her dreams.

While Hakuei and lived with just her three brothers, they had a much larger family in a nearby country. That family consisted of one father, many different mothers, 7 daughters and three sons. The two eldest sons took after the two eldest in Hakuei's family, calm and dignified with every manor. The third brother was more chaotic, having been left alone for many years. But still, he learned to be as his older brothers and to take care of those he loved. The youngest sister also had a heart of gold, and loved all her siblings dearly.

The 6 sisters, however, were spoilt beyond compare. No one wanted to care for them, and because of this they got whatever they wanted instead of parenting. Clothes, Jewels, servants, whatever the girls asked for was theirs. They were never satisfied with what they had, always asking for more and more. All of the girls were jealous of Hakuei's beauty, and took every opportunity to try and belittle her for their sakes. The girls all laughed at the humble position Hakuei and her family was in, convincing themselves that they were much happier and better off than their cousin in the farmhouse.

After some time, their elder brothers sent a letter to them asking for aid.

It was a letter from their cousin, Kouen Ren. See, the little family of four was connected to the Ren family, a highly influential family in a nearby country. The eldest brother was asking the two eldest siblings for assistance in a matter which they responded to immediately. Both brothers left their house to the younger two, assuming to only be gone for a month or so. "We'll send a letter to you in a few days' time," Hakuyuu told them. "So you know we are safe." The four siblings all said goodbye, and the two brothers went on their way.

A few days later, the youngest brother was worried for his brother's safety. "Why haven't they sent the letter yet? Did they get there alright? Maybe they got hurt!" Hakuei tried to assure her youngest brother that the letter must have been late, but Hakuryuu wouldn't listen. Eventually Hakuryuu convinced his sister to let him go through the path their siblings would have taken, as long as he would come back within three days.

By day four, the youngest brother had not returned.

Panicked, Hakuei sent for her brothers who came home immediately. Hakuyuu and Hakuei went to search for the youngest brother while Hakuren stayed behind in case he returned. While on the path, the two realized that the youngest brother must have taken a wrong turn, away from where the elder brothers had gone.

As Hakuei and Hakuryuu went on this path, they found a large castle hidden far away from their village. The two siblings slipped through the gate, assuming it was abandoned. If their brother was still alive, he would have gone to find shelter, they reasoned. The castle was grand, but old and unlit. It brought a chill to their spines, and both agreed to leave as soon as they found Hakuryuu.

While they were searching, they ran across a little man. Sharkkon was his name. But the little man was small in size, able to fit in Hakuyuu's palm. They told Sharkkon of their dilemma, and the man responded eagerly. "Oh, I know who that is!" He exclaimed. "He came here a few days ago looking for shelter.'

'When he was here, he took a rose, saying it was a way of apologizing to his sister when he got back for being so late. Our King does not like thieves. When he found out, he threw your brother into a dungeon for his crimes, and said he would have to pay for his crime by staying there forever."

Horrified, the two siblings demanded to see their brother as well as speak to the king themselves. Shakkon brought them to the king, while he got his friend Masrur to go and find Hakuryuu. Hakuryuu was brought to meet his siblings in the throne room, as well as king Sinbad.

When they saw king Sinbad, both of them froze in shock. His hair was purple, let loose and went down below his waist. He wore only a pair of dark red pants, and on his skin were dark tattoos circling around him. The tattoos appeared to be any regular tattoos. But when they stared at them, their blood ran cold. It felt as if all hope in the world was lost, and all that was left was the dark. They could not look at the tattoos themselves for very long without falling into despair.

Gathering his courage, Hakuyuu tried to reason with the king, convince him to let their sibling go. But to their horror, he refused. "Not only did your brother trespass in my kingdom, but he also tried to steal from my castle. The sentence is to stay here forever. Those who come here must not leave." Hakuryuu continued to pester the stubborn king, try and convince him to let him go. Again and again the king refused. Until Hakuei came up with an alternative offer.

"What if I stay?" Hakuei offered. "In exchange for my younger brother."

Sinbad had no problem with the exchange. He saw Hakuei as an opportunity to rid himself of the curse, once and for all. He agreed, and Hakuei agreed as well. Hakuyuu tried to argue with his sister, but Sinbad wouldn't hear any of it. "The decision is hers, not yours. If she wishes to stay in the place of her brother, you have no right to interfere."

And so, Hakuyuu and Hakuryuu were sent back home, leaving Hakuei behind.

For many months, Hakuei remained in the castle. Hakuei and Sinbad would stay in the same quarters, sleep side by side. ( **This actually happened in a version. No joke. They just slept side by side. There are many versions of this story)** for a while, Hakuei was absolutely terrified of the place, and would not leave her room. Sinbad made no move to force her out, more irritated with her presence than pleased. He hated the fact that he had to rely on a stranger in order to break his curse. His pride distanced him from her, and in turn, her from him. She had no desire to get to know the man who would glare and get annoyed whenever she was around. The first few weeks were uncomfortable for everyone.

Yet every night, before they went to bed, Sinbad would ask Hakuei the same question.

"Do you love me?"

Now, Sinbad didn't love dear Hakuei. He was much too proud and cautious for that. But the curse which had been set upon him and his people said that if he could find someone to fall in love with him, then the curse would be broken. There was no rule that said he had to love her back.

But every night, Hakuei would give him the same answer.

"No."

So for the first few days, nothing changed.

After some time, Sinbad's friends decided to help. A small, doll sized Pisti and Spartos were able to pull her out of the safety of her room. They gave her a tour of the castle, showing her the kitchen, lobby and the library. Hakuei loved the library. Often she would stay with Jafar, the two of them reading the many books the castle had. He would recommend her some, and she would help him reach the ones he couldn't get to. Unfortunately, all this did was make Hakuei long for foreign lands and adventure far far away.

As Hakuei's time at the kingdom grew and grew, Sinbad discovered her longing for other lands. Sinbad admitted that he had been to these lands, to Hakuei's happiness. She insisted Sinbad tell her all about the other lands. Sinbad had no desire to help the girl, but his friends urged him, saying he needed her to release them of the curse. The king told her about adventures he'd had in other lands, and Hakuei listened politely. She did not praise him for his journeys like many had before, but instead insisted for more details about the lands, not his own adventures. For a while this was a source of great frustration for the prideful king, but slowly Sinbad began to enjoy trying to find the answers to her questions.

Their time spent together soon became less of a chore, and more of a choice. Sinbad would look forward to her questions, searching himself for the answers he couldn't find. At first Hakuei had shivered at his presence, his tattoos sending fear through her heart. As time went on, she grew accustomed to them, and found that she didn't even notice them. It started that they would only spend an hour together a day, talking about other lands, and then going to bed. As they got closer, this time extended to them eating meals together. Spending hours in the library, not just one. Going out and walking around the gardens. Even taking the horses out for a ride, for Hakuei loved horses. After sleeping side by side each other for so long, it got to the point that neither could go to sleep without the other there as well. Hakuei grew to actually enjoy her imprisonment at the castle, and thought of it less as a prison and more as a second home.

The king started to focus less on trying to break the curse, and more on Hakuei herself. He started trying to guess the questions she'd asked him, before she got the chance. They found they had similar interest in books, and they'd read some together. Sinbad would love waking up early to watch her ride the horses through the garden out behind the castle. The names of each and every family member and friend she had was absorbed in his mind. Even the little details would take over his thoughts. The bright blue of her eyes which reminded him of the sea he loved. The curve of her lips when she was about to smile. How gracefully she walked through the halls, skipping when she was happy. He couldn't stop thinking about her. His heart, while normally full of selfish thoughts and ways to benefit himself, instead went out to think of her. Even his friends benefited, as he started thinking of them more as well. He'd never felt that way about…well, anyone. The king even started leaving her a kiss on the cheek before they went to bed. And slowly, the darkness in his heart began to clear.

But at the end of the day, Hakuei's answer was still the same.

"Do you love me?"

"No."

Hakuei grew to love her time at the kingdom. But as time went one, she began to miss her siblings very very much. She wondered if they were alright. She wanted to assure them that she was well, and that they had no reason to worry about her safety. One day, while she was talking with Sinbad, he noticed her unease. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"I'm worried about my brothers. I haven't seen them in so long." Hopefully, she looked up at him in his golden eyes. "Is there any way I could go and visit them? If only for a few days." King Sinbad did not want her to go. It hurt him dearly that she would want to leave at all.

But after seeing how sad being away from her brothers made her, Sinbad relented. "You must come back on the fourth day," Sinbad promised as his only request. Hakuei promised immediately, saying she would be back before the night of the fourth day, and no later.

Before Hakuei left, Sinbad asked her his usual question. "Do you love me?"

Like always, Hakuei answered. "No."

But for the first time, Sinbad responded.

"Please come home soon. Because I love you."

With these words in her heart, Hakuei left and returned to her farmhouse. Her brothers were overjoyed at her return, and relieved to hear she was happy where she stayed. When they heard she could only stay for a few days, they called upon their cousins to come and visit her before she would have to return.

What Hakuei hadn't realized when she had been away was that all of her cousins had gotten married. The youngest sister, let's call her Kougyoku, was happy and content with her husband Judal, who was able to make her laugh and kept her out of harm's way. The other six sisters however, were not happy. They had husbands who they did not love, who did not love them, or would spend no time with them. When they had first heard of Hakuei's situation, they felt better of theirs. "Surely we are luckier than her. She's probably miserable in the place she's in." But when they saw Hakuei, she was beaming with joy, much happier than the six of them. She told them all about the castle, her close friend the king and the sisters were sick with envy. Despite being imprisoned, she was still lavished with many more nice things, affection and happiness than any of them.

As the days went on, the sisters conspired to ruin Hakuei's happiness.

"We'll make her stay for an extra day," they decided. "The king will be furious that he disobeyed her orders, and surely she will be punished."

"Maybe he'll even have her killed!" One of the sisters giggled with joy.

So the sisters begged for Hakuei to stay another day. They wept and pleaded, saying they could not bear for her to leave so soon. Hakuei did not want to stay. She did not want to keep Sinbad waiting. But seeing her cousins in such pain, she knew she couldn't leave, and promised to stay for one more day.

When she got the chance, Hakuei returned to the palace as fast as she could. When she got there, she was surprised to see all of Sinbad's friends hiding in the great hall. "He's been waiting for you since yesterday," Yamu explained to her. "He's so angry. I don't know what he'll do."

Hakuei to, was afraid of Sinbad's rage. But swallowing her pride, she went to the throne room where Sinbad had been waiting. When she entered the room, she offered him a sweet smile.

For the first time, it did not warm his heart. Her smile was met with a dark glare that made her look away.

"You are late," The king said. Hakuei shivered, once again noticing the dark tattoos on his skin.

Nervously she looked away. "I'm sorry king Sinbad. My cousins were there, and they didn't want me to leave."

"So you would choose staying with them over keeping your word with me?"

Hakuei gulped. "It was only for a day my king. I did not mean to hurt you."

"Only a day!" Sinbad exclaimed, launching himself out of his chair. "Only another day I did not sleep. Only another day I went around my castle wondering what to do with myself. Only another day I wished you were there by my side. I'd come to believe you were enjoying your time here. Was that true, or was I just convincing myself of a lie? Do you wish to be away from here so soon? Was one day that valuable?"

"No!" Hakuei tried to explain. "I wanted to come back, I just,"

"Maybe you should just stay away!" the king interrupted. "It's what you want isn't it? To be as far away from your prison as you can get? As far away from me as possible? The monster hiding in the dark? The beast?" Storming up to her, he towered over her so he could look her in the eyes. He could have her killed. It wasn't like he hadn't done it before. When he was turning dark, to simply rid himself of people he didn't like was easy. Riding himself of Hakuei may have been for the best. Get rid of all the emotions that came with her, good and bad. Go back to life in the palace before she'd come and changed everything. Back to when he didn't have to care for others, didn't wonder if what he was doing was right. Go back to only thinking of himself. Back to simpler times.

But his heart. Oh how his heart would have ached if she was away.

"Why did you even come back?" Sinbad yelled. "Why would you bother? You know we can't leave this castle, you know I couldn't have stopped you. Your word is a lie, so I know that's not why. Tell me, why would you come back here?" For a moment, Hakuei didn't know. She hadn't come back because she had promised him. She hadn't come back because it was her duty to stay in order to keep her brother safe. No. When she really thought about it, she knew that was only what she said to convince herself. Hakuei hadn't returned for any of those reasons.

Once again, Sinbad asked her the question. The one he'd started asking so that he could get his power back. The one that meant nothing to him personally in any way. One that had become the question he would have died to know. The question that made his heart beat with hope, waiting for a different answer every time. The question that he wished would someday change, become the answer he'd given her. For the first time, he asked her not out of obligation. Not to get his power back. But because he loved her. And he wanted to know.

"Hakuei Ren. Do you love me?"

And she answered.

"Yes."

And just like that, the curse was broken.

* * *

The kingdom was returned to its former glory. All the land and power was returned, as well as all the citizens who had been forced away. Sinbad's closest friends were returned to regular size, and his own tattoos disappeared. The name of Sindria was spread out again, making it one of the most powerful kingdoms in all the lands. Not long after the restoration of the kingdom, Hakuei became the queen of Sindria. They formed an alliance with Hakuei's cousin's country, Kou. Her brothers were moved back to Kou, where they were able to live out their days with their family and friends in peace.

The only ones who were unhappy were the six sisters. The same sisters who were visited by a wandering traveller.

The six sisters were never heard from again. But oddly enough, six beautifully carved pillars were put in Kou to decorate the main hall. No one knew how they got there. No one but the traveller Yunan.

As years went on, many things changed. But one thing that did not changed, was ever night before they went to bed, Sinbad would ask her the same question.

"Do you love me?"

"Yes."


	6. Chapter 6 Soulmate Watch

**This was an idea that was going around Tumblr for a while. Thought it would be fun to try. Super cheesy, but perfect for Valentine's Day. Enjoy!**

00:00:00:23

"Hakuei?"

"Don't. Just don't say it." Kouen pursed his lips, obeying her wishes. For a moment.

"Hakuei, your wrist says,"

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" She threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. "Gosh." Kouen drew back, surprised at his cousins reaction. Not that she didn't have good reason to be upset.

All humans were born with numbers. Numbers that start when they are born, and counts down the second they begin to breathe. Scientist from every decade and time wonder how the numbers got there. No one had been able to discover where they came from, or how they were able to detect such an impossible, incalculable event. Some said it was the work of the angels. Others said it was a curse, to give the person just what they wanted and take it away with the harshness of life. Many thought, or hoped, that it was fake and would do all they could to avoid the countdown. But the majority of the planet celebrated the countdown, saying it was when someone would truly find happiness. It was called the curse, the mystery, the gift, the inevitable doom. Scientifically it was called the 'perfectus ad alterum horologio', which was Latin for something.

Most people just referred to it as the soulmate watch.

Hakuei tugged at the sleeve of her jacket to hide the countdown on her wrist. "Of all the days for this to happen," She muttered to herself. "Why today?"

Kouen chuckled silently to himself. "According to the media and most of my sisters, this would be the perfect day for your countdown to end." Hakuei just rolled her eyes.

Bright red valentines posters covered every inch of spare wall the mall had to offer them. The store was bustling with men getting their last valentine's day gifts, tables had children exchanging valentine's day candies with each other and old married couples walked hand in hand, showing off their soulmate watches that had clicked off to zero, replacing the watch with red band that encircled their wrists, affectionately called by the media the red ribbon of fate.

00:00:00:18

"What kind of cupcakes do you think everyone will want?" Hakuei asked as she searched in the bakery isle. Kouen resisted the urge to say 'any that wasn't made by you.'

Instead he pointed out the red velvet ones. "Those ones look good." Hakuei nodded at her cousin's advice, taking a tray, pausing, then taking another just in case. "Hakuei, are you just going to ignore your countdown? There is only a few minutes left on it." She hesitated before stopping herself from checking the watch to see if that was true. _I don't care,_ she tried to tell herself.

"It's not real anyway," She tried to convince him, but couldn't even manage to convince herself. "Scientists have discovered that it's just a primal instinct, helping Homo sapiens discover the person with the best genes and chemistry to match theirs in an attempt to help the human species live on. It's not about love, its biology. How can someone ever have a perfect soulmate with those circumstances?"

Her cousin tried to interject a comment, but Hakuei continued. "Even if there was such thing as a soulmate, it would do nothing but cause people trouble. How many people get to find out who their soulmate is, only to be separated thanks to life? In the past there was arranged marriages, there is travel and careers that separate people, sometimes there is even death, and sometimes someone has a soulmate whose soulmate is not them. All the soulmate watch does is remind those people of what they could have had but lost. Why would anyone want that? It's not like people can't fall in love without the soulmate watch. I've met people without the soulmate watches who are much happier with their lover than others who used the soulmate watches are. It's just a trick of nature, nothing we should tie ourselves to," She finished with a gasp, sucking in as much air as possible before she deflated like a balloon.

Kouen waited for her to calm down before commenting. "That may be true," he added slowly, "But there are many situations where the soulmate watches help people find exactly that. Their soulmate. If it helps someone find the person that will make them happy, it does nothing but cause problems for the person if they specifically try to avoid it."

00:00:00:14

Scrunching up her nose she turned away from him. "If that's how you see it, fine. But I don't like to be a part of it." Pausing, she turned back to him with a skeptical eye. "How about you? When is your countdown going to end?" Kouen pulled up his sleeve so he could check his watch carelessly.

"In about a month." Hakuei recoiled in shock. That quickly?

"Really?" He nodded. "Oh I…I'm sorry if I bothered you with…well…what do you think about it?" Kouen tipped his head to the side, thoughtfully.

"I hope she'll be a good reader."

"That's it?" Kouen shrugged.

"You are the one who is claiming that the idea is 'stupid' yet you seem to care more than me." Hakuei felt her face turn red as she turned away from her cousin.

Next time she went shopping she would bring someone else. No, that would have been worse. Koumei would care to little, or fall asleep when she couldn't decide what to get. Kouha would take more time than her, making HER fall asleep. Hakuryuu would try to get her away from all people, insisting that no one was good enough for his sister. Normally she would have gone shopping with Seisyuun, but he was working. Despite how it killed her that he was always right, she liked Kouen's company. He would never judge, and allow her to do her own thing.

Normally Kougyoku would have been her first choice for a shopping partner, but on that day she knew she didn't want to risk it. No, Kougyoku would have made a bigger scene, desperately trying to figure out who Hakuei's 'soulmate' was before she did. Since Kougyoku hadn't got to experience the anxiety and wonder of the countdown, she would enjoy helping others out with theirs. See, hers had stopped when she had been very young. To the day she didn't understand why, and insisted something was wrong with her.

Most of them had simply decided not to mention that her best friend Judal's had gone off the same day.

"If you are so convinced the bracelet is nonsense, why did want to come shopping today?" Kouen asked curiously, eyeing the electronic store across from them.

"Because I don't want to let it hold me back," She argued as they left the bakery and returned to the mall. "I have things to get done today, and I won't let the self-defeating prophecy known as fate stop me from doing those things." _Especially the last minute plans for the party,_ she thought but decided to keep to herself.

That night the Ren family was hosting a Valentine's Day ball, supposedly as a friendly get together. The members of the family knew that it was simply a day where important people could all meet to discuss business, try and make a good image for themselves at the party and bring down others reputation by spiking someone's wine. The only members of the Ren family that went were the ones that had to. Kouen and Koumei being the inheritors of the Kou Corporation after their father died had no choice but to attend. Kougyoku and Hakuryuu tried to attend to be respectful, but often left early with Judal to make fun of some poorly rated romantic comedies. Some of Kougyoku's sisters attended, but never got the memo that it was really for business, not a party. Kouha had…been forbidden from attending after he had spiked the punch bowl.

Hakuei was in charge of the international and cultural relations in their company, which meant she had no choice but to attend, even help organize it. She was having a hard time concentrating on it with the ticking time bomb embedded in her skin.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a list and crossed off 'cupcakes.' "Right. All we need to get next is the refreshments and napkins. Kougyoku said she would handle the florist, right?" Kouen nodded, still confused at why they couldn't hire some of their servants to do the job for them.

As she put the list back, she caught a glance at her wrist. The time really was getting low. Of course Hakuei didn't believe in it, and thought the whole premise was ridiculous…But that didn't mean she wasn't nervous. "Um…Kouen," She rushed, passing him the list and box of cupcakes. "I'm going to try and run my last few minutes out on my own. I'll meet you by the car in a few minutes after you've gotten the last few things." He struggled to carry the pile, but couldn't resist sending her a cocky smile.

"Now who is being paranoid?" Hakuei rolled her eyes at him before rushing away.

"Be sure to get strawberry AND ginger ale this time!" She called before turning to find some kind of hiding place.

Deep down Hakuei knew wasn't the only one who disagreed with the idea of the soulmate watch. As Hakuei walked past a booth selling valentines cards, she noticed a woman who had a solid black scarf tied around her wrist. Many people refused to even acknowledge the wrist watches, insisting that it was more romantic to find your soulmate without the assistance of knowing the day and time. Others didn't want to believe their lives were controlled by some numbers on their wrists. Hakuryuu had one expressed his desire to get a tattoo to cover it up, but Hakuei told him he wasn't getting anything permanent done until he was at least 20 years old if she had anything to say about it.

00:00:00:10

With every step, she knew the time was getting closer. She didn't want it to get closer. She wanted to avoid it as much as she could. Slipping into a nearly empty book store and hid in the corner. Leaning against a bookshelf she breathed a sigh of relief. No one would bother her there.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted one man entering the store and her heart sped in panic. Just as quickly she calmed down when she noticed the black ribbon around his wrist. If a person's soulmate had died tragically before they had met, the countdown would run down and a black circle would entwine the wrist instead.

Nervously, Hakuei checked her wrist to make sure the numbers hadn't disappeared and her wrist turn black. It wasn't that she cared about finding her soulmate, but she would worry if someone had died so young. She was only in her twenties, and it was unlikely for someone's soulmate to be much older than her.

00:00:00:06

As the time got closer, she wondered if a bookstore was good enough. Maybe a closed store? Sneaking out she hurried to find the least crowded part of the mall. Why did there have to be so many people at the mall on Valentine's Day? The only abandoned place she could find was the old pool the mall had built, but kept closed during the day.

Luckily the locks were bad. Hurrying into the abandoned pool, she hurried around to make sure there was no one around. From what she could tell, there was no one there. Hakuei didn't bother checking the pool. Who would go swimming when it was closed? Instead she let out a sigh of relief as she sat at the edge of the pool. Since she was there, she decided to take off her shoes and put her feet in. She may as well relax. No one would come in.

00:00:00:03

Even as she told herself this, she couldn't help but glance around nervously. There was nothing for her to panic about. She'd already made sure there was no one around. The watches were just a part of human biology anyway, and they didn't decide anything for her.

The only problem was, no matter what people did, they always ended up meeting someone knew when the timer ran out.

00:00:00:01

One minute. Just one minute till it was done, and she would never have to think about it again. She'd go out and meet Kouen at the car, they'd drive home to meet her family at her house, get ready for the party and go to bed like they did every year. Nothing would change.

Nothing at all.

00:00:00:00

Nothing happened.

Hakuei glanced around the pool. She was completely alone. Not a soul in sight. The countdown on the clock didn't go away, and she knew there was still a few seconds left. But there was no point to worrying anymore. There was no one there. Whoever he had been must have died a long time ago. Hakuei sighed in relief, or what she told herself was relief, as she got to her feet.

Was she happy? She told herself she was. She told herself she really didn't care.

It was hard to ignore her instincts thought.

"Glad that's over," She tried to convince herself. Stretching, she glanced back at the pool. Only then did she notice a blur in the water's surface. Frowning she glanced down at the water, trying to see what it was.

Only to get covered in water as two bodies emerged with a splash.

"GAH!" She exclaimed, falling back. Her black jeans and blue coat were soaked. Shivering she looked up in surprise.

She hadn't realized she had been interrupting a couple swimming.

Golden eyes widened in surprise when he saw her in front as he pulled himself out of the water. The man had long purple hair, still tied back with a string. He looked a few years older than her, as well as foreign. His skin was tanned, and he had golden hoops dangling from his ears. Taller than her as well as bigger, the man made her wonder if her cousins weren't actually giants but average size. He was just as big as them, thought his figure a bit leaner with a taller height. The man was handsome, but Hakuei could hardly notice with her shock overshadowing her emotions. He blinked at her, ignoring the water rolling down his face. "Who are you?"

"W-who are you?" She gasped in surprise, struggling to her feet in a rush to distance herself from him. "W-what are you doing here? The pool is closed!" The stranger just smirked at her.

"Could tell you the same thing," he observed, but most of what he said was lost when a second body emerged from the water. A women with long green hair gasped for air. When she saw Hakuei her eyes mirrored Hakuei's emotions.

"What are you doing here?" She girl hissed, hiding behind the side of the pool as a shield.

"I-I'm very sorry, I didn't realize there was anyone here," She sputtered, stepping back nervously.

Ignoring both Hakuei's and the girls embarrassment the man laughed to try and ease the mood. "It's okay Sakura," he assured her. "I'm sure it was just an accident. We were getting out anyway." Using his arms he started to heave himself out of the pool. The other girl let out a gasp when he started to get out, though Hakuei didn't understand why. She guessed it was because she had been expecting to stay in longer? That was her guess…

Until she realized neither of them were wearing bathing suits.

"P-put something on before you come out!" Hakuei exclaimed, turning away to try and find something so he could cover himself up. She grabbed a spare towel off a chair and held it out to him while trying to cover her eyes. His laugh echoed through her ears as she felt the towel being torn from her hands. Hesitantly she turned back, hoping he was completely covered.

He wasn't, having tossed the towel towards the girl so she could cover herself up.

Hakuei nearly shrieked as she covered her eyes with her hands. Only then did she notice her wrist. The watch on her wrist slowly dissolved, a red design replacing where it had been, melding together so it formed a circle. The watch she had lived with her entire life had disappeared. She had a red ribbon instead.

The man's eyes widened at the sight of hers. Glancing down he checked his wrist as well. Hakuei nearly choked.

The last pieces of his watch disappeared, and the red line replaced it to make a band that would never disappear until one of them died.

The time was up.

Her soulmate watch had found a match. And so had his.

"I…'

'I have to go."

The man's gold eyes widened. "What?"

"I have to go!"

Without another word Hakuei launched herself from her spot and rushed out of the pool. From behind her she could hear the stranger calling after her, but she refused to look back. Since he was soaked, she doubted he would be able to catch her. She sprinted through the mall, pushing past customers and dodging displays. She didn't stop until she got to the parking lot, finding Kouen already in the car. "Let's go!"

Kouen glanced up in surprise as she jumped in the car. "Hakuei? You're soaked. What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Hakuei exclaimed, slamming the side door shut. "Just drive!"

* * *

"I can't believe you just left!" Kougyoku exclaimed, making Hakuei wonder if she wanted the entire world to hear. "How did you meet him? Was it romantic? What was he doing?" Hakuei smiled, twitching in annoyance and embarrassment.

Later that evening, Hakuei found herself surrounded by Kouha, Kougyoku, Judal and Hakuryuu at the party. The place was covered in red and pink roses, a chandelier their only source of light to give the ballroom a darker, more romantic vibe. Different CEO's, official representatives, family members of important people surrounded the place all absorbed in their own discussions. There was a dancefloor, but only a few couples were dancing. The couples all wore red to show off the red bands around their wrists. Most people wore black or white, including Hakuei. She wore a simple black dress that went below her knees and straps holding it up. She had decided not to try and hide the red ribbon around her wrist in order to convince herself that it wasn't a big deal. Despite that, she'd done her best to hide her hand behind her back.

Eventually the rest of her family had found out. "I want to know to!" Kouha argued, pushing himself into their talk. "How did my cousin meet the man who will be next on my people to kill list!" They all had a theory that if Kouha had realized who Kougyoku had met when her wrist watch had disappeared, he would have killed Judal to.

Ignorant to this, Judal snickered. "I'll bet he was some kind of stiff, obsessed with his work just like you huh?"

Hakuryuu elbowed Judal in the stomach. "I'm sure that's not true. He was probably a gentleman, just the kind of person my sister deserves. Isn't that right sister?" Hakuei laughed sheepishly.

"How did you meet him," Kougyoku repeated earnestly. "I have to know!"

Against her better judgment, she told her the truth. "He was skinny dipping with a girl in the pool."

A silence fell over the group.

Judals laughter was so loud, the orchestra nearly stopped their playing to see what had happened.

"Oh my gosh, that's just gold!" he exclaimed, keeling over with laughter. "THAT was how you met your soulmate?" The shade of red Hakuei turned perfectly matched the roses she'd decorated the room with.

"He's not my soulmate Judal," She shushed him angrily. "You know I don't believe in that kind of thing."

Her pleads just made Judal laugh harder. "Fine, sure. But he's your 'perfect mate.' 'One true love.' 'Genetically the perfect person for you to spend the rest of your life with.' Is that better?" Hakuei slammed her foot down on his, which made him shut up quickly.

Kougyoku sighed, wishing that her step sister would share in her joy. "Err…okay, your first meeting wasn't magical, but that's okay! I'm sure the rest will be absolutely incredible! Where is he anyway," Kougyoku asked, glancing around the ballroom. "You did invite him right? Please tell me you invited him!"

Crashing her hopes, Hakuei shrugged. "How could I have invited him? I didn't even get his name."

"WHAT?" Kougyoku exploded just as loudly as Judal. "You didn't get his name? How could you have not gotten his name? You know that you only get to meet your soulmate once right? Now you don't even know who he is, so you can't find him!" Hakuei decided not to argue that she couldn't have gotten his name when she was too busy running for her life.

"I probably won't see him again anyway," She told her.

"Well now you won't!"

"Psst, guys." They all hushed up when Seisyuun came over. "Hakuei, someone's here for you." Hakuei turned, her heart skipping a beat with panic at the words.

Luckily for her, her fears were dashed. "Thomas!" Hakuei rushed over to meet her friend who stood all on his own. When he saw her he grinned, hugging her tightly when he got close. "Thomas, I can't believe you are here! I haven't seen you in years!" He laughed, just as excited to see her as she was.

"My dad was here on business and decided to come to the party. I'm just glad I made it this year," he explained. "The place looks even better than it did the first time I was here.

"I can't believe it's been six years since we first met," Hakuei exclaimed, hugging him tightly. Gently she pulled away, taking his hands in hers as she did. When she did, she accidentally revealed her red ribbon. Thomas caught sight of it, and his eyes widened immediately.

"Oh your…" Thomas muttered. "Your countdown is over." Hakuei nodded, snatching her arm away quickly as she tried to fight the blush that crept on her face.

"Y-yes. Just today."

Thomas let out a shaky laugh, making himself sound supportive as he tried to hide his own red ribbon which had been red for 6 years. "T-that's great. Who is it?"

Instinctively Hakuei hurried to explain how she didn't believe in the soulmate countdown. How she hadn't even gotten his name, or had no plans to go and try and see him again. Instead she slammed her mouth shut as a hand reached around her and towards Thomas.

"That would be me."

Hakuei spun around to face the man she'd met at the pool. Unlike before he was not soaking wet, and was wearing clothes. A dark suit with a purple tie that matched his hair, added with the same cocky smirk as before. Also unlike before, he looked much more put together and official, easily able to blend into the business like scene around them. Hakuei had no idea how he'd gotten there. She'd been the one to arrange all the guest lists, she knew every single member. How had he gotten in? Only when he gave his name did she realize she was doomed. "My name is Sinbad, president of the Sindrian trading company."

PRESIDENT of the Sindrian trading company?

Hakuei decided the entire world was against her.

Thomas shook his hand, his grip not as tight as Sinbad's. "So you are Hakuei's soulmate," He murmured, voice slightly envious. "Yours went off to?" Thomas asked, his voice slightly hopeful.

Unfortunately for him, he held up his arm to reveal his wrist. The red band was circled around his wrist, complete unlike before when it had only been starting to come together when Hakuei saw it. "Happened today when I saw her at the mall. Well, I suppose she saw me." Hakuei's face burned at the memory.

"The mall huh?" Thomas squirmed, itching to get out as fast as he had come. "Congratulations. And on Valentine's Day no less." Sinbad laughed easily, ignoring the tense situation.

"Poetic isn't it?" he slipped his arm around her shoulders making her cheeks flush and her skin tremble. "Now if you don't mind, I think…Hakuei and I should go have our first dance. Can you believe I've been here this whole time and haven't danced with her yet?" Without waiting for an answer, Sinbad led Hakuei away from Thomas and over to the dance floor. Confused, nervous and shocked, Hakuei went along with him while she tried to sort out her feelings and thoughts.

Except he didn't stop at the dance floor. He continued out of the ballroom, through the gardens until they reached the fountain. Even when they got there, Hakuei still didn't know what to say. What could she ask? How did you find me? What are you doing here? Why did you bring me over here? Can we go back? Do I even want to go back? Instead she decided to let him go first, wait and hear what he had to say.

"You made things quite difficult for me at work you know."

Well she hadn't expected that.

Hakuei blinked in surprise. "At work? How so?"

Glancing down at her, his golden eyes sparkled in the moonlight. "The women I was with when you met me was the daughter of one of the men I'm trying to make a business deal with. Hers had gone off when she met me, but mine hadn't. She'd insisted that my watch didn't matter since people could fall in love with or hate their supposed 'soulmate.' I was going along with it until you came along." That was enough of an explanation to get Hakuei to shrug his arm off of him. Not believing in the watches was one thing. Taking advantage of someone else's belief for their own gain was another.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to mix your personal life with your work?" Sinbad tipped his head to the side, considering the idea.

"Those two things seem to blend quite a bit. Anyway, now she's trying even harder to try and convince me the watches mean nothing. It's become quite exhausting."

"You shouldn't have bothered arguing with her. The watches are ludicrous and have no reason, and I don't believe they should change anything." Sinbad raised one eyebrow curiously.

"You don't put any faith in them?"

"Why should I," She argued. "Do you? If you really did, you wouldn't have been taking advantage of that girl, or been with her when your countdown was almost done." He just let out a laugh, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"To be honest, I forgot to check when it was going off. I never paid much attention to it."

"You were never curious?"

"I always thought if it happens it happens, and I'd deal with it after that. But now that it has happened," he took a step closer to her, ignoring the fact that she took a step back. "I guess I'm here to deal with it."

Forcing herself to remain composed, she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "There is nothing to deal with. Do you actually believe that we're soulmates because of what some numbers on our wrists said? They are just a part of human biology, and there is no scientific reasoning proving if they work or not. Besides, they only study the biochemistry and physical body of a person, not their mind or beliefs. We could just as easily hate each other, just like your friend Sakura told you." Sinbad pursed

"That's how some people look at it. What others say-and what my scientist, Yamu says," Sinbad muttered, walking around her and making her follow. "That what the watches really do is find the person who can, one, match them physically. Someone who can either keep up with them or helps them with their weaknesses while they assist them with theirs. Also the watch helps them find the person who would be a perfect match in the…well, you like talking about how it's focused on biology. I'm sure you can guess what I mean." If she hadn't been red before, she was absolutely covered with a blush then.

"But," He added before she could intervene. "It also can focus on the person's chemistry, which includes their hormones and brain cells. Those focus on the person's emotions and intelligence. The watches help find someone who matches their own thoughts and feelings. Or, like the physical sense, can help them with their own strengths or weaknesses. For example, you seem very stubborn and business-like." Hakuei opened her mouth to argue but Sinbad held up his hands in surrender. "Not that there is anything wrong with that. But the point is, I'm more relaxed and social. The opposite to your approach. Which means I could help you, and you could help me.'

'So with that in mind," he continued, "There is nothing wrong with the 'biology and function' of the watch, is there?"

Hakuei didn't say anything. She had no idea that anyone had been doing research on the watches. She'd thought it had been a question most people had decided to leave behind years ago, only to be brought up in soap operas and romance films. More than that, she wondered why he was so convinced it was real. She'd used to picture meeting her 'soulmate,' but had never even considered he'd be anything like the man in front of her. She'd thought he'd be quiet, more submissive so she could be the leader of the two. The man in front of her was clearly used to taking charge. How could something like that work?

"You honestly believe that I'm your perfect match? That you are mine?"

"Honestly?" He paused. "I haven't decided anything yet. I never thought much about it before today. But I do know I'm," he gave her an once-over before putting on a pirate smirk. "…Interested enough to look into it deeper." Hakuei scoffed indignantly.

"Maybe you are, but I most certainly am not."

"Why?" Sinbad interrupted. "Are you scared?"

"Scared" She exclaimed. "Scared of what?"

"That you'll fall in love with me," He suggested, "That I really am the person who could make you happy." He took another step closer, but Hakuei pulled away out of nerves.

"I really doubt that. In case you forgot, the first time I met you you were skinny-dipping with a girl who was in love with you when you just wanted her for business and fun. That isn't a very romantic first meeting in my opinion."

He laughed, but there was no embarrassment or shame behind it. "My first impression didn't go to well, I'll admit to that. How about we start over?" Reaching out his hand he offered her a smile. "Hi. I'm Sinbad president of the sindrian trading company. I enjoy sailing, finding or making my own adventures and having parties with my friends. Oh, and I'm your soulmate."

Hakuei rolled her eyes, but couldn't resist smiling just a bit at how innocent that sounded compared to the rest of his speeches. Taking his hand she gave a slight nod of the head. "Fine. My name is Hakuei Ren, a member of the Kou Corporation. I enjoy horseback riding, sewing different cloaks and spending time with my family. And I don't believe in soulmates."

"Hakuei Ren," Sinbad murmured, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "I can't wait to fall in love with you."

They didn't let go of each other's hand for a while, the two red bands meeting laying side by side.

 **So this was….okay? Good for Valentine's Day I guess. Kind of a cliff-hanger ending, not the best for Sinbad. Fun to write though. Happy Valentine's Day and eat lots of chocolate!**


	7. Chapter 7 Slytherin and Hufflepuff

Hogwarts AU (Cause why not?)

 **This chapter is kind of a crossover, but I'm not putting it in that category because the rest of the chapters aren't. I'll just say I don't own Harry Potter Either, and all recognition for it goes to the original author. Also, I don't actually know that much about Harry potter, so if I get any facts wrong I apologize.**

"Now be very careful with that spell there Alibaba," Yunan advised him as he pushed his wand down onto the table. "We don't want another explosion in the classroom this week." Alibaba sighed as he flipped the page of his spells book. While he was one of Gryffindor's best quidditch players, his skills at any kind of flammable spells always ended in disaster.

Yunan slipped through the desks of his students practicing various spells for the upcoming test. Yamu's blue scarf hung on top of Sharkkon's red jacket that was slung across his chair while she practiced turning water to ice. Judal teased Kougyoku by switching his green gloves with her yellow ones. Every time he did that Kouha would snatch them back after hitting Judal with his own red gloves. A regular day in Yunan's class of spells.

Ever since Hogwarts had added a university to their program, the classes had gotten much more…interesting. They had students in their last year of university, like the ravenclaws head student Kouen, in the same class as first year students like one of Gryffindor's newest comers, Aladdin. It had helped students to mingle outside of their houses (As long as it wasn't in the main hall of course) but depending on the classes, poor first year Aladdin could be partnered with a first year university student like Judal. As the head of the Ravenclaw house, he had agreed to the idea while knowing the repercussions were problems that would help the students grow in time.

What even Yunan hadn't anticipated was what the changes would do to his own personal suffering.

Walking over to the front of the class, Yunan frowned at the pair of black shoes crossed on top of the desk. "Sinbad, don't you think you should be working?"

A pair of golden eyes glanced lazily up at his teacher, the colour clashing with his dark green tie. Despite the uniform rules, he hardly ever wore the vest. Instead he wore black pants and a black button down shirt. His dark purple hair hung across his chair where his jacket lay with the Slytherin symbol on the crest. The golden hoop earrings were definitely a uniform infraction but no teacher could ever convince him to take them off. At his side Hinahoho was trying to find his yellow scarf that the other girl from his house, Pisti, had stolen and hid somewhere in the classroom. Sinbad tipped the side of his mouth up with a careless smile. "I already did the work."

Yunan held out his hand. "Well let me see it." While he chuckled to himself Sinbad reached over to his desk and handed him a stack of papers. Yunan flipped through the pages of formulas and spells, all done correctly.

He glanced over the papers at Sinbad, his hands crossed behind his back with a cocky smile on his face. "Did I complete it to your satisfaction?"

His teacher barely held back a scowl. "Take your feet off the desk," he ordered without giving him an answer.

Yunan did not understand him. He was intelligent, well-liked and had ambition. Everyone knew who he was and they all knew he was going to do great things when he got out of Hogwarts. Yunan knew that more than anyone, having been one of his tutors when he first got to school. But the boy was far too cocky, and his level of morals were the main reason Yunan knew the sorting hat hadn't even considered putting him in Hufflepuff. There was no doubt he was going to grow up to be a man with power. What he would do with that power when he got older worried him.

The sound of footsteps approaching drew his attention away and his anger slowly subsided. Hakuei Ren walked over to him, her spell book in hand and robe open to show off her long skirt and the grey cardigan over a yellow shirt. Her black shoes clicked on the floor above her black tights and the yellow rim of her skirt. The only visible infraction for her uniform were the small pink flower shaped earrings stuck in her ears. If he had asked Yunan knew she would have taken them out, but they were such a small thing he saw no point. Walking up to him she offered him a sweet smile that made her blue eyes twinkle in the light from the windows. "Mr. Yunan, I finished my assignment. But I wanted to ask you about the Amortentia potion if that's alright."

Returning to his regular mood his expression easily changed back to a smile. "Ah yes, of course. Let me see that book." She handed it to him so he could read over her research.

With a quick glance away from the book, Yunan noticed Sinbad wasn't turned in his chair to Sharkkon to talk about the latest quidditch match or sending messages to Tina from the back to make her turn bright red and started giggling much too loudly. Instead his focus was on him. By instinct Yunan glanced at his robes to make sure Judal hadn't played a prank and turned them pink without his knowledge.

It took him a moment to realize his focus wasn't actually on him. Instead he was focused on Hakuei, his gold eyes stuck on her yellow robes. Hakuei didn't notice, to busy questioning whether she was saying the spell wrong or if she had gotten the meaning of the spell wrong. But out of the corner of his eye, Yunan was able to see that Sinbad's eyes never left Miss Ren.

Shaking off his curiosity, he focused on her work. "You have all the proper research here Miss Ren, though I hope you understand this spell specifically was band from use inside the school." Ever since Pisti had made the love spell for Valentine's Day and spread it throughout the entire school, they'd made a rule that the spell could only be researched with paper and never used. That had been a messy day for everyone. Some of the female students still giggled when they saw him in the hallways.

"I understand," Hakuei nodded obediently. "It's for an independent project I'm doing for professor Baba of divination." Yunan kept himself from twitching. While he respected professor Baba, a teacher that many of the students had come to think of as a grandmother, the profession of trying to predict or even see the future was something that Yunan never believed in. "I'm not sure why she wanted me to research a love potion, but I promised I would look."

"Maybe she sees something good happening in your future." Both student and teacher turned to Sinbad, feet still on the desk and hands folded behind his head. Yunan noticed his smile was wider than it had been before, and the spark in his eye brighter and more mischievous. If that was possible. "Have you been getting any flowers from owls lately? Or chocolate frogs with red hearts on them?"

Hakuei frowned, but there was no distain in her face. Only a hufflepuff would be able to face someone like Sinbad without anger. "No, I haven't. I assumed it was because she had told me on quite a few occasions that I am far too…'emotionally detached' for a hufflepuff." Yunan knew that was the nice way of putting it. He had heard the rumors people had spread about both any of the Ren siblings that got into hufflepuff. The family was famous for hiding emotions and feelings had three of their more capable members in the house that was known for kindness and emotional control. Kougyoku was very open and loveable, which got her out of most of the student's radars. Hakuryuu had a harder time than her, but after he had become friends with Alibaba, Aladdin, Morgianna and others the rumors and names started to die away.

As for Hakuei however, while she was known for being very kind to others, she wasn't very open with her emotions or other people. The only close friends she had other than her family was Seisyuun and a few members of the Kouga family. Many thought it was a mistake that she was put in that house, or decided that the only reason she was there was because she didn't fit into any of the others. Hakuei hadn't said anything about it, but no one could have avoided the whispers that went around when she walked to class.

 _Perhaps that's why Sinbad's curious about her,_ Yunan hypothesised. "Sinbad, please don't listen in on other people's conversations. I'm sure you have other classwork you can be doing." Sinbad raised his eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Instead he raised his hands in defence, turning back towards the front.

"Whatever you say professor," Sinbad retreated. For a moment there was a pause, and they thought he'd left them alone. Just as they were getting back to work, he interrupted again. "But, Hakuei," he glanced back at her with a dark twinkle in his eye. "If you think you need help with that potion, I'd be more than willing to help you out." Hakuei showed no visible reaction to his words.

Instead she gave him a polite nod. "Thank you for the offer Sinbad. But I do believe I will be alright." Before turning back, she glanced at the desk. "You should probably get your feet off the desk." Sinbad raised his eyebrows, but the smirk remained on his face.

What surprised Yunan the most was that Sinbad complied. Slowly, he moved his feet off the desk and went back to the books on his desk. Keeping a close eye on Hakuei as she walked away of course. Yunan watched in awe as Sinbad went back to work, continually checking to see if Hakuei had noticed. While Sinbad had spent lots of his time sneaking glances at girls and flirting with them more than that, he'd never listened when one of them told him he should be paying attention or being more respectful. He'd never cared enough to listen to anyone other than his friends that intently.

More than that, Yunan could never get him to do anything that wasn't absolutely mandatory. He wouldn't wear the uniform properly. They couldn't make him stop using magic in the hallways. Once he'd even smuggled a dragon into the school and hid it in the dark forest. Most of the students were convinced that it was still there. Because of…arguments that Yunan and Sinbad had had in the past, Sinbad had absolutely refused to do anything that wasn't part of the lesson in his class. He'd been doing all he could without breaking his own rules to try and make him behave, but there was nothing he could do.

Out of curiosity, Yunan decided to test the situation again. "Miss Ren, do you know where the toad toes are by any chance? I've seemed to have misplaced them." Hakuei obediently slipped out of her seat and walked over to where Yunan was shuffling through the school supplies.

After checking a few spots, Hakuei shook her head. "I'm sorry sir, all I can find is the mandrake roots and unicorn hairs. Do you know who had them last?" Yunan pretended to ponder the question.

"I think it must have been Sinbad. Could you ask him if he knows where it is?" She nodded. Out of the corner of his eye he watched as Hakuei walked over to Sinbad's desk. He noticed Sinbad's eyes followed her until she got to the desk, but he didn't acknowledge her until she was right at his desk. Yunan couldn't hear what they said, but he saw the smile grew on Sinbad's mouth when he talked.

To his surprise, and anyone else who was listening, Sinbad got out of his chair. He led Hakuei over to a shelf on the other side of the classroom, grabbed the bottle of toad toes off the top and handed them to her with a smile. They exchanged a few more words that Yunan wished he could hear. Hakuei looked slightly annoyed while Sinbad's smile got bigger. After a quick thank you, Hakuei returned to Yunan. "They were in the back Professor," She told him with a smile as she held them out for him.

But the professor didn't take them right away. "What did Sinbad say to you?" Hakuei's eyes widened, caught unaware by the question.

"Um…He said if I ever needed help with finding anything in the class just come to him. Also he wanted to make it abundantly clear that he was helping me, not you," she added regretfully. Yunan wasn't fazed, having expected something like that. Instead he considered the fact that he had so willingly helped Hakuei out even though she had been sent by him. Sinbad hadn't done that for other students in the past when they were helping Yunan. It was a new situation…as the head of the Ravenclaw house, Yunan new to how to use new information to his advantage.

"Did you…want the toad toes sir?" Yunan glanced back at the glass jar in her hands. Than up at Hakuei.

Unless Yunan wanted to be dealing with Sinbad's attitude until he graduated, he needed to find some way to get him to be more respectful.

It was a longshot, but what did he have to lose?

…

* * *

"You want me to work with Sinbad?" Hakuei asked.

Yunan nodded, glancing at the door to make sure that all the students had left. Luckily they had lunch after that class, so there would be no students coming to interrupt. "Yes, if you don't mind. Sinbad has been having a problem with his studies in potions. You have been doing a very good job in the class, so I was wondering if you could help him out."

The student hesitated, glancing around to check and see if someone was hiding under an invisible cloak. "All due respect Yunan, but I don't think he needs any help with his classes," Hakuei argued hesitantly. "Most students actually go to him for help." Yunan frowned. He had been aware of that, but he'd hoped Hakuei hadn't. Her eyes narrowed when Yunan gave her no explanation. "But…you knew that…why are you asking me to work with him?"

He was tempted to lie and insist he was really worried about Sinbad. But anyone who knew their situation wouldn't have bought that. "Fine. As you have probably noticed Sinbad does have a…problem with authority and regulations in this school."

That answer, Hakuei was able to follow easily. "Yes, I noticed that the two of you don't get along…What exactly happened between the two of you?" Yunan kept this mouth in a firm line. He didn't trust himself to speak.

"That's not important right now," Yunan forced out. "What's important is that I need a student to help get Sinbad in order. He seemed to listen to you earlier, so I see you as my best chance." Again Hakuei hesitated. Any loyal member of Hufflepuff would have a problem with that kind of plan. Someone as bright as Hakuei would have multiple problems just with the idea of it.

"I'm not sure how I could convince Sinbad to work with me," she explained, deciding to appeal to the sensible side of him.

Yunan nodded, having already thought of that. "Do not worry about that. I have already told him that you will be working with him in the library later today. He's agreed, luckily." Yunan decided against his better judgement not to question why Sinbad had agreed to easily.

To his surprise, Hakuei was being more difficult than Sinbad had been. "So you want me to pretend to work with him while I'm really trying to get him to respect you more."

Cautiously, Yunan gave her a smile. "Is that too much for you?"

"No sir," Hakuei assured him. "It's just…Please forgive me for saying so Mr. Yunan, but if you weren't the head of the Ravenclaw house, you wouldn't make a bad Slytherin."

* * *

"E5."

The white knight moved to the square, trapping the queen and ending the game. Professor Scheherazade let out a long sigh as her queen fell to the ground. Shaking her head, she collected her things as Yunan smiled at the chessboard with pride. "It looks like you have won again Professor Yunan."

"Looks like I have," Yunan agreed, putting on a kind smile. "Don't worry about it Scheherazade. You are still a very good chess player."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that my friend," she told him as they stared down the hall to their perspective classrooms. "What I am worried about is my students. That's actually why I wanted to talk to you Professor." Yunan's eyes widened in surprise.

"What student is it you would like to talk about?" The two of them had to part for a moment to allow the ghost of a former king to get past.

"I would like to know," She started, glancing at a painting of a knight flirting with a prince. The knight glared at her for the intrusion, and she quickly turned away. "Why a member of my student has been paying quite a few visits to the head students of the slytherin house." Oh. That story.

It had been about a month since the arrangement between Sinbad and Hakuei had started. So far there had been no change to Sinbad's attitude towards his teachers or the rules of the school. He had seemed to enjoy Hakuei's company. Smiled more and had a cheerful attitude about him. At least the attitude meant that he didn't go out of his way to annoy Yunan anymore. It was a start.

Other people had begun to notice the odd arrangement however. "You know very well that typically hufflepuffs and slytherins either get along quite well, or not at all. Hakuei is not the exception to this rule, as she seems to like them the least since Judal had tried to deceive her brother into a plan that nearly got him expelled last year. Is there any chance you would know why she suddenly changed her mind?"

The professor wasn't surprised that she had been able to figure him out. Scheherazade had always made a point to make sure that her students were alright, especially the ones in her house. Because of her kindness, she was hard to refuse when she asked for anything. Help, advice, information was given to her freely. If she had been crueler, she may have had the power to rule the school if she wanted. "It was under my advisement," Yunan admitted. "Sinbad has been rather…difficult to handle in class lately. I thought that having a good influence around may have been good for him."

Unfortunately, Scheherazade did not see his plan in the same light. "Good for Sinbad? Perhaps. But did you think whether it would be good for Hakuei?"

Yunan sent a curious look her way. "Has Hakuei been having problems?"

"No," she admitted reluctantly. "Not that she has told me anyway. But the point is that I worry about if she will. Hakuei and Sinbad, a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff, those two usually don't work well together. Maybe nothing has happened yet, but I do worry for the future." She had to pause as the stairways shifted, taking them to a different path than they had intended. "You do know that many Slytherin's have taken advantage of Hufflepuff's good nature in the past. In fact, didn't Sinbad himself take advantage of Hakuei's cousin in order to win the house cup a few years back?" Of course Yunan remembered that. It had been a situation that the board had decided to keep under wraps, but they had been very careful to keep Kougyoku out of Sinbad's reach since then.

"I understand you have had trouble with Sinbad for…personal reasons," she suggested, clueless to the real reason for Yunan and Sinbad to not get along. "But please don't drag down one of my students in order to fix it."

That had never been Yunan's intention. All he had wanted was to finally get rid of the annoyance Sinbad had caused in his classroom. Hurting others' to do that was not what he wanted. However, that didn't mean there was any reason for him to retreat so easily. "I understand your concern professor, but I wouldn't have asked Hakuei to help if I didn't think she could handle it. She's much more resilient than the majority of your students, no offence of course." Other than the head student, Muu, of course, but Yunan didn't say that out loud. He still had some problems with that student as well.

As they walked, Yunan spotted an interesting sight out of the corner of his eye. When he recognized it, he paused in place and Scheherazade followed. "If you are really uncomfortable," he suggested, "We can see how it goes with our own eyes."

Turning to the balcony, Scherazade realized that they were standing above the outer court. Not many students were there at the time, most students preparing for an upcoming quiditch match. However, sitting on an otherwise vacant bench was Hakuei and Sinbad. They were surrounded by books, both their wands in hand and a cauldron sat in-between them. Sinbad was glaring at the cauldron like it was the evil inside of him manifested. Hakuei seemed perfectly fine, reading something in her potions book out loud.

Both the professors whisked their wands around in the air, using a spell so they could hear them easier. "…And that's why the mandrake root was needed," Hakuei explained. "And the unicorn hair-"

"-Is important to balance off the dragon claws and oak tree spices," Sinbad interrupted with a bored expression. "Is that all?" His fellow student glanced at him with a partially innocent surprise.

"What do you mean? We just got here." Sinbad smirked, leaning against the bench to stare at her from a different angle, instead of focus on the pot that separated the two of them.

"I'll admit I was hoping that for this study session we wouldn't actually be studying the WHOLE session." Hakuei raised her eyebrows, feigning nativity. But the spark in her eyes said she knew exactly what he had been hoping to do with their time.

"Huh. Well, this is a study session, so I don't know why you would have been expecting anything else." Without hesitation she turned her attention back to the book in her hand. Sinbad pouted in a joking manner as he leaned forward to get her attention.

"Aw, come on love. We studied what you wanted to yesterday. Don't I get to pick what we do today?" slowly Hakuei's eyes lifted from her book to meet Sinbads.

After a pause she let out a sigh and snapped the book shut. "Fine. What do you want to study?"

A wicked smirk replaced the silly pout on Sinbad's face. His eyes roamed over Hakuei like she was a helpless bunny and he was the wolf. "Want to study the effects magic has on the body?" Hakuei raised an eyebrow skeptically. Her house's head professor happened to be less than impressed.

"He's making fun of my students. I've seen him say the same things to other girls in the hallways." Yunan shook his head, a similar smile on his face.

"You shouldn't underestimate your student's professor." He tipped his head back to the two of them. "Keep watching." She raised her eyebrow, but obeyed. Below them, Hakuei hadn't answered yet, probably debating the best way she could have told him no.

Instead she smiled. "Alright."

Sinbad's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. "R-really?" Hakuei raised an eyebrow with a smug smile on her face. After the initial shock wore off the smile that replacd it was ridiculously wide. "Alright then. If you insist." Sinbad tried to lean closer, but Hakuei instead went into her bag. When she turned around, Sinbad was face to face with her wand. With a wave of her wand she uttered only one word.

"Silencio."

Instead of a smile, Sinbad's expression was absolutely shocked. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Hakuei's smile got even bigger. "I'm surprised I got that spell right. It's hard to complete without any practice." Returning to her book she flipped to the page with spells that effected the physical body. "So other than not being able to talk, what else are you limited to? You can hear me properly, right?" Sinbad raised his eyebrow but didn't respond. "Good. That's good to know." She wrote the information down. "You did want to study the effects of magic on the human body, right Sinbad?" the two professors at the top watched with mild amusement.

"Alright," Scherazade gave in, a rare mischevious smile on her face. "I'll allow this to continue. Hakuei is very capable. But if I see anything that I think will potentially hurt her, I'm going to stop this. Understood Yunan?" Yunan nodded easily. He'd been expecting Hakuei to be able to handle Sinbad, but even he had to admit he was pretty impressed.

What bothered him was that Sinbad looked impressed as well.

* * *

The next time Yunan agreed to help students with an after school project, he would pray for death.

Two first year students it would be a good extra-credit project to figure out how to make rainbows on their own. Instead all they had managed was to colour their skin blue, red and purple. Yunan had just finished washing off the green on his hands when he heard shouting coming from one of the corridors. Out of curiosity, he switched the stairs he had taken and followed the sound.

"How dare you try and hurt my brother Isaac!"

"Oh calm down, it was just an accident."

"They think he's going to lose his arm!"

"Well he shouldn't have gotten in the way of Isaac's and my practicing."

When Yunan finally found the source of the commotion, he was surprised at what he saw. A large crowd had gathered around a group of three people, two against one. The usual calm and collected Hakuei was just barely containing her anger, teeth clenched to hold back from shouting at her enemies. On the other side was a tall ravenclaw Yunan knew as Isaac and his younger friend from slytherin named Dunya. She glowered back at Hakuei with just as much anger as she gave her. "Your brother and his friends got in the middle of our experiment!"

"You shouldn't have been doing that experiment after hours anyway! Alibaba, Aladdin and my brother were just trying to find out what was going on, and you sent them all to the hospital wing!" There were a few murmurs in the crowd, some concern for the injured parties, others simply excited at the drama to distract them from their daily lives.

A hint of guilt shone in Dunya's eyes, but she quickly whipped it away. "We didn't mean for anyone to get hurt. They were the ones who interrupted our experiment because they had assumed we didn't have permission when Isnan had said it was alright!" Yunan made a mental note to talk to Isnan about giving students permission to perform spells that sent three to medical care. "It's not our fault that your brother couldn't handle the level of magic that we were using. I guess he just wasn't as tough as us."

That had been the wrong thing to say. Unless he was trying to start a fight. "If you think you're so strong, why don't you fight me and see if you could handle yourself in a real battle?"

"Gladly!" Dunya hissed back. In a flash her wand was in her hand, Isaac reaching for his in defense. Alarm bells rang in Yunans ears and he knew he had to settle things.

Just as he had pushed his way to the front, the fight was cut short by a third party. "Whoa whoa, let's all calm down here." All eyes turned to see Sinbad breaking through the crowd, with Jafar from ravenclaw and Masrur from Hufflepuff behind him. All students backed away from either admiration or a silent fear for one of the strongest students in the slytherin house.

Sinbad hardly glanced at Yunan as he headed to the middle of the circle. Things had been getting better with Sinbad, finally. He actually obeyed when Yunan asked him to do something for the class. His uniform wasn't perfect, but at least he had started wearing the robe once again. The two of them still were not on speaking terms, but at least Sinbad didn't glare at him as they passed through the hallways anymore. It was progress. More-so in Hakuei's department than Yunan had realized.

Sinbad risked a wink at Hakuei. "Milady." Some of the girls in the crowd swooned.

While Hakuei didn't look as annoyed as she used to, the frown didn't go away. "Not now Sinbad. This is my problem, and it is none of your business."

"Anything you do is my business love," Sinbad informed her while Yunan dwelled on the fact that he had given her a nickname. "That, and the fact that I am making it my business. Walking in the middle of an argument usually does that."

"What is this," Dunya questioned, hiding the spark of fear when she glanced at Sinbad. "What, you can't handle your own battles so you get your boyfriend to come and fight them for you?" Hakuei's cheeks turned bright red when murmurs and rushes of rumors spread through the crowd like a wildfire set by a baby dragon.

"He is NOT my boyfriend." She turned back to Sinbad. "Please just go away."

"Am I not allowed to offer you my assistance?"

"I don't need your help!"

"This is a waste of time," Dunya cursed as she spun around to face Hakuei. "Look here princess. You meet us after dinner in the dark forest, before it gets dark. Then we'll see who really can use their magic." The suggestion of a challenge raised the spirits of the crowd almost as high as a rally at a quiditch match.

"Ooh, a showdown."

"That's going to be good." Similar whispers spread throughout the crowd, edging the entertainment on.

With determination in every word she accepted. "Fine. Don't you dare be late."

"Of course not." In an instant the whispers came to a regular volume when they realized that was all they would see for the time being. Crowds dispersed, people continued either their own conversations or began to spread plans of going to see the match on their own. Yunan decided he could no longer stay idle and remind the students that fighting with magic in the dark forest was against the school rules. Pushing past more students, he hurried to retrieve both parties of the argument. Instead, he found Hakuei standing with Jafar and Masrur, while Sinbad had taken her spot with Dunya and Isaac. He had one arm around each of their shoulders with overly friendly smile.

"Look, I understand that you are mad at Hakuei for challenging the two of you for something that I'm sure was just an accident," Sinbad cooed. Isaac nodded, but didn't say a word. He didn't seem like a very talkative one.

"Exactly!" Dunya spoke for him. "Who does she think she-"

"However," Sinbad continued, so low that Yunan had to strain to hear him. "If either of you lay one hand on my dear Hakuei, I will personally guarantee that neither of you get to see the light of day ever again." It was like an avalanche of ice fell over them, as Dunya and Isaac froze and Sinbad's dark look maintained the cold. After the pause, Sinbad pulled back with a sickeningly sweet smile on his face. "Understand?"

Neither of them were able to move, stuck in the fear of what Sinbad could do to them. Only Isaac was able to respond when Dunya's mouth hung open in surprise. "Y…yes." Sinbad nodded. Calmly he patted them both on the back, making them both flinch.

"Good. I'm glad we had this talk." Spinning on his heels he walked back to Hakuei and his friends. "We should hurry if we want to get to our next study session on time Hakuei."

Hakuei nodded, glaring at Dunya and Isaac as she passed. "I'll see you later tonight then."

"Y-yeah," Dunya hesitated. "I-I'll see you there." Her eyes shifted up behind Hakuei. She looked stern, determined to avenge her brother and more personally effected. Sinbad on the other hand, looked absolutely murderous as he glared at Dunya and Isaac from behind her, his silent threat looming in the air.

Dunya gulped.

Later in the day, Yunan heard that Dunya and Isaac had been nowhere to be found at the time of the fight. The next day, both of them returned, seeming to have forgotten about the whole thing entirely.

But Yunan didn't miss the fear in their eyes whenever they glanced at Sinbad.

* * *

The dining hall was buzzing with energy that night. Exams were only a few weeks away, and the quiditch dup had just been handed to the Gryfindor team. Aladdin was still getting congratulations from his fellow students for catching the snitch just before the end. Even the losing team, Ravenclaw, was still in a buzz from the energy and hype going through the hall.

Ugo elbowed Yunan in the side gently. "Hey, are you alright?" Yunan blinked up at his fellow professor before turning back to the crowd. In fact, he had been looking for a few students with little success.

"Where is Sinbad from Slytherin?" Ugo glanced over the crowd as well, but could not see the regular pony tail of purple hair they all knew belonged to him. Yunan frowned, slumping in his chair in annoyance. He'd calculated the potential of the outcome of course, but he had never expected it to come to pass. And after they had had so much success!

After nearly half the year, Sinbad had finally started to behave properly. Did what he was told, respected the rules appropriately and only had a few minor infractions and rules broken to his name. Hakuei had been a good influence and if had started to show. Yunan's class had become much easier to handle, even enjoyable with Sinbad actually paying attention to the lessons.

After Sinbad had finally started to act like a regular student, he couldn't even come to the main hall for dinner?

He had heard that the two of them had had an argument about something a while ago. According to the students Hakuei had learned many more details towards Sinbad's private life and his romantic endeavours. Yunan had no idea why Sinbad's relationships would bother Hakuei, but nonetheless Hakuei and he hadn't spoken for a few days. In turn, Sinbad's schooling had also taken a turn for the worse. He wasn't purposefully causing problems anymore, but it was almost worse than it had been before. Whenever he was in class it was like his mind was in another world. His potions would go wrong because he hadn't been paying attention to his ingredients. It took forever to get him to answer a question simply because he hadn't heard it. Once he had even broken two cauldrons from walking into a student. It was a disaster!

With a sigh Yunan shook his head. "Nothing. I just realized an experiment I had has gone bad." Ugo raised his eyebrows at him, but said nothing. As a former member of Ravenclaw, he knew when it was best not to push.

After a few minutes of silent eating, the doors of the main hall opened with a loud creek. Hardly anyone paid attention, but Yunan glanced up out of curiosity.

Sinbad walked through the doors, flanked by a rather nervous looking Pisti of gryfindor, Drakkon of gryfindor and Spartos of hufflepuff. What was truly odd was the look on Sinbad's face. He didn't look smug or relaxed like he normally did. There was a set determination on his face, as if he had been given a mission that had to be completed right away. His friends hurried to their respective tables as they cast nervous glances back at him. Sinbad didn't go back to his table.

Instead he marched through the hall towards the hufflepuff table. As he walked people began to notice the odd sight of a Slytherin searching through a group of hufflepuffs. Yunan glanced at Ugo to see a flash of panic across his face. The rules of houses remaining at their own table was strictly enforced by all the teachers, not just him. Even Sinbad hadn't bothered to break that rule.

Until that day of course.

After some searching, Sinbad plopped himself down next to a bright eyed, raven haired girl sitting next to her brother and having been next to a blue haired friend who yelped a complaint when he was pushed away from Sinbad to have room. "We need to talk," Sinbad told her, sounding more like an order than a request.

Hakuei's eyes widened in surprise. "Wha-Sinbad, you can't sit here!" Already people had started staring, conversations dying down to see what was going on.

"You've been avoiding me." Immediantly Hakuei's surprise turned to annoyance. She turned back to her food, trying to avoid the stares of her fellow classmates.

"I don't know why you would think that. Maybe I just don't want to talk, okay?" Before she could take a bite, Sinbad snatched her plate away and pulled it towards him. Hakuei stared up at him incrediously. "Sinbad!"

"Maybe. But now I want to talk to you." She tried to yank her food back, but Sinbad held it out of reach. "Hakuei, how many times do I have to say I'm sorry?"

"What would you have to apologize for?" She grunted, her cheeks starting to turn red. While most students couldn't hear the two of them with their hushed tones and the rest of the oblivious students still talking about the last match, many were watching the two of them interact and waiting for the action to begin. The teachers all turned to the headminister, Solomon, for direction. To their surprise, Solomon did nothing. Instead he watched curiously, ignoring the rule that Sinbad had broken. He must have decided that the reason for breaking the rule was more interesting than the rule having been broken itself.

Scooping up her chin he forced her to look at him. "For what Polly told you. That was from long ago, I didn't think it would come up again." Hakuei glanced away, biting her lip to help her keep her calm.

"Why should it?" She questioned. "It's none of my business how many girls you've been with or what you did with them. We're just study partners, why should it bother me?" She told him, in a tone that said it really did bother her.

Sinbad must have been able to hear it, because he persisted. "You know that I want to be more than just 'study partners' with you." A few people started whispering at that, but the two of them ignored it. "I didn't mean to lie to you about it. I just didn't want you to know just how…flirtatious I can be.

Hakuei shook her head. "I already knew about that Sinbad. I just didn't realize it was that big until Polly," Hakuei nearly spat out the name, "just told me how many people you've dated. It just surprised me, that's all. And the fact that you lied when you said you had only been in a relationship with four others." FOUR? How naïve was the girl? Perhaps she had just had high expectations for him.

"Technically, I was only in a relationship with four girls, the others I just dated for a little bit!" That didn't seem to help the situation very much. "I'm sorry I lied to you, but I didn't want you to get upset. I don't care about any of those girls anymore, you know who I care about." Hakuei glanced up at him before quickly turning away.

"I-I just," She hesitated. "We're really different Sinbad. You know that. How could we possibly work?"

"We could," Sinbad insisted. "If I had you, I would never want to even look at anyone else. How could I when I've got you to look at?" Hakuei's face turned bright red when a few giggles went through the crowd. They all must have had super hearing because Yunan had to use magic to be able to hear them.

"S-sin I…How can I trust you? Take away your relationship with others, you still are a liar and very deceitful. How can I trust someone like that?" While Sinbad looked slightly relieved that the subject had shifted from his affairs, he seemed panicked over the seriousness of her worries. He must have known they would come up, but had secretly been hoping they wouldn't.

Gingerly, he took Hakuei's hand in his. "Hakuei, I get that I can be…dishonest, but I promise I will never lie to you again. We're really different, but we can make it work. Opposites attract, right?" Hakuei's mouth twitched with amusement, and Sinbad visibly relaxed a bit more. "Just one date. That's all I'm asking." Before Hakuei could say anything he added, "And no is not an option. I'm not leaving this table without a yes." Sheba, who had finally stood up and started towards the table, had a different answer for that.

Hakuei didn't seem to notice her as she frowned at him. "How can you say that? What if I just say-mmf!"

The poor dear was cut off when Sinbad grabbed her shoulders and yanked her into a kiss. There was a collective gasp of the fellow students, and whispers of excited reactions spreading quickly. Neither of the two seemed to hear them as Sinbad wrapped his arms around Hakuei like he would never let go and she twisted hers around his neck. It seemed like forever had passed when they finally separated for air. "So…yes?" Sinbad suggested while Hakuei struggled for air.

Breathing heavily, she nodded. "O-okay." Sinbad grinned wildly before kissing her again.

Some students called it a magical night.

Other than the part where Sinbad got detention.

* * *

"I just came by to say thanks professor." Yunan's eyes widened. That had been the last thing he had been expecting.

It was the last day at school, all the students were getting ready to head to the trains and Yunan was just collecting the last of his things from his classroom when Sinbad had walked in. While the experiment with Hakuei had gone much better than he had expected, getting a thank you was far beyond his expectations. "For what? For helping you with your potions?"

To his surprise again, Sinbad laughed. "No. for finally doing what I wanted."

Yunan frowned. "What you wanted?"

"That's right. I had been trying to get your attention for a while until you finally decided you were desperate enough to send her to me so I would behave. Honestly, I was considering sending her secret letter that you would find so that you would finally make her study with me." Slowly, Yunan examined his words as he tried to connect the pieces to understand what he was saying. When he did, his eyes widened.

"You," Yunan gasped, the disbelief hanging off his tongue and shock plain in his eyes. "You…you wanted me to send her." Sinbad's eyes twinkled while his cocky smirk seemed to somehow get cockier. Something Yunan had thought had never been possible.

"Hakuei never trusted me enough to approach me of her own free will," Sinbad informed him as his hands slipped into his pockets. "Unless she thought it was to help someone out. Since you asked her to help me out with my work, I had the excuse to see her outside of classes. She didn't want to see me, no matter what I did. You gave me that excuse that she couldn't refuse."

"Sounds like you did quite a lot of planning for this," he forced out as he began to realize what he'd done.

"I was highly motivated," Sinbad told him with a smug smile. "She's a great girl. Thanks for the help." Yunan didn't say anything, unable to believe that he, Ravenclaws head teacher, had been tricked by one of Slytherin's students.

"I got to go," Sinbad told him. "My girlfriend can't hold my seat on the train forever. Don't be expecting any more special treatment next year. I've got what I needed so there's no reason things can't go back to normal with us, right teacher?" With a wicked grin, Sinbad hurried off to leave Yunan in a mix of bewilderment and small amusement.

 _Well played Sinbad. Well Played._


	8. Chapter 8 Texting

Texting

 **Hey everyone! I was in the mood to write something short, cheesy and cute that didn't require much effort. I had this idea a while ago so…enjoy!**

"Hey Hakuei, I think you just got a text." Hakuei glanced down at her phone in her purse. Sure enough, her silver phone was lit up with the little symbol for a message on the screen. Her first guess was that it was a text from work. As the foreign connections manager at her families company she was always getting something new sent on her phone. Usually when it was the least convenient. With a sigh of defeat she pulled it out while Hakuryuu went to eating his meal in silence. When she opened the message, she was expecting it to be a contact from work. Instead the text showed no name. And it had nothing to do with work.

Unknown: Hey Hakuei!

Hakuei: hello? Who is this?

Unknown: How about the guy of your dreams?

She raised her eyebrow skeptically. _Seriously?_

Unknown: Who is this and how did you get my number?

Unknown: Judal gave it to me.

Hakuei: I didn't give it to him.

U: Then he stole it. Not me.

H: Who is this?

U: ….

U: *Seen at 12:30*

H: Hey!

U: Aw did you miss me?

H: -_- Who are you?

U: Your secret admirer 3

H: Are you serious?

U: I prefer to try and be more relaxed.

H: Judar, is this you? This isn't funny.

U: Are you sure? I'm enjoying myself right now.

Hakuryuu glanced up at his sister. She had a frown on her face and was intensely focused on whatever she was writing. Yikes. Something bad must have been happening back at work. He was probably going to get a text from Kouen telling him to come in at any minute.

U: Don't you like having a secret admirer?

H: I find it pointless and childish. Is this Kouha? This is Kouha, isn't it?

U: Nope. That's two strikes already darling, you ready for the third?

H: This is ridiculous. This is my work phone, and I need it for important messages.

U: I'd say I have some important messages to give you. ;)

H: Tell me who you are or I'm blocking you.

U: You can try if you like.

Outwardly Hakuei raised her eyebrow. _Was that a threat?_

H: Fine. Goodbye stranger.

U: Until next time. 3

Without waiting to see what he meant by next time Hakuei swiped to her settings and blocked the number. For a moment she waited, but nothing else came through. Rolling her eyes she slipped her phone into her bag, already allowing the conversation to fade away as a weird occurrence of the day. "Something happened at work?" Hakuryuu asked her as he took a sip of his smoothie.

As she returned to her meal she shook her head. "Someone trying to play a prank I think. Probably Judar. Or Kouha." She made a mental note to tell Kouen. They were supposed to be working, not playing games on their phones. After a pause she asked, "Say, did you give Judal my number?"

Hakuryuu nodded. "Yeah. He said he needed to give it to the boss of the new shipping company Kouen is considering doing business with. You remember him? The one we met at the June dinner a few months ago?" It took her a moment to remember. There were so many bosses from so many companies that Kou incorporated worked with, she had a hard time remembering them all.

"No, but that explains how a stranger got my number. He probably thought it would be funny." She took a bite out of the pasta in front of her. "Well, it doesn't matter now. I blocked the number, so I won't have to worry about that again." Hakuryuu nodded and went back to his food. Both of them pleasantly pushed the disruption away, assuming it was done with and over.

Both of them were very, VERY wrong.

…

* * *

"Sister, maybe you should go home."

Hakuei tried to wave Kougyoku away. "It's fine. If I go home there is no way I'll get all this work done on time."

The next day during the evening when most of the employees had all gone home the public appearance specialist Kougyoku was trying to coax her step-sister out of her office. The previous day when Hakuryuu and Hakuei had gotten back Kouen revealed that he had agreed to work with the new company. All the head managers-which included many of the Ren family- had been invited to meet the boss they would be combining their business with. He had seemed alright, but Hakuei hadn't paid much attention. Kougyoku seemed to like him a lot, but then again she was the manager of public appearances. She had mastered the art of hiding any kinds of loathing or distain in front of others. The next day however Hakuei discovered just how much work the new merger was giving her.

Turned out the shipping business was famous for its international contributions. Since Hakuei was the one from Kou Incorporated who was in charge of their foreign relations, Hakuei had to file reports on each and every company and country they were working with and give the reports to Kouen as soon as possible. And that was a LOT of reports.

"You've got a week to finish those reports," Kougyoku insisted. "And you won't actually have to meet them in person for a while."

But Hakuei shook her head. "The sooner I get this done the sooner I won't have to worry about this anymore. You go on home, I'll see you tomorrow." Hakuei had a little apartment in the 'Kouga residents' building, but Kougyoku had a house with her husband further out of town. It would take her longer to get back.

Before Kougyoku could protest, there was a buzz from Hakuei's phone. "I've got to take this. Have a goodnight Kougyoku."

While the girl hesitated, eventually she sighed in defeat. "Fine. Try to get some sleep." After exchanging farewell's the younger women headed down the hall to the elevator. Hakuei pretended to focus on the message to make her think it was an important business note. Truth was, it wasn't even on her work phone. Since that phone got so filled up, she had a separate phone for friends and family matters. Not only that, it was an anonymous message. Probably the wrong number. To be sure she checked anyway.

U: Roses are red, violets are blue, how can a violet be blue, its name suggests another hue.

H: Who is this? I think you have the wrong number.

U: No, I'm pretty sure I've got the right number.

H: Who do you think this is?

U: A beautiful raven haired women with blue eyes that could stare through my very soul.

Outwardly Hakuei couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes.

H: Alright, who is this?

U: Have you forgotten me so soon? It's your secret admirer darling.

H: WHAT

U: Did you miss me as much as I missed you?

H: This is my personal phone! How did you get this number?

U: Magic. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

H: Well congratulations. Now I'm just going to block another number.

U: Now why would you do that?

 _Why am I still talking to this person,_ was what Hakuei wanted to know.

H: Because I have no idea who you are.

U: Easy. I'm great.

H: Stop.

U: This is a safe way we can get to know each other without having to worry about others getting in the way or rumors spreading.

H: You do realize that it's suggested that people who use technology to communicate have low confidence and terrible communication skills in real life.

U: I have heard that. And I've chosen to ignore it.

H: does texting a stranger anonymously make you feel brave then?

U: This type of communicating does hurt my pride a bit. But after a lot of internal debates and a few lost hours of sleep I decided this was the best option.

H: Why?

U: Because wouldn't this just be the best way to tell others how we met?

H: We haven't met.

U: Not yet. But our story is just beginning.

H: No, it's not.

U: There is no reason to be scared love.

H: I am NOT scared.

U: Really? Because it sounds like you are.

U: Think about it. What the worst that could happen? All I'm doing is texting. I promise I won't send you any inappropriate pictures or nuclear launch codes. If things go my way you'll have a new boyfriend. If things don't go my way you could make a great friend.

H: Or I could have a serious stalking problem.

U: Is it really that bad an idea?

H: Yes, yes it is! I have no idea who you are! You could be some old man or a minor or a wanted criminal. And am I seriously expected to believe you are going to text me just to 'get to know me?' That you aren't just some sleazy teenager trying to get photos of an older women or some scammer trying to get information out of me about the Kou Cooperation?

U: Wow. You really have negative thoughts about people on phones.

H: It's just reality. People don't start texting someone and becoming their 'secret admirer' on the internet unless they want something from it. People who do usually turn out to be psychopaths or stalkers. Or both.

U: I'll admit. Those options didn't really occur to me.

H: How much planning did you actually do into this plan?

U: Honestly? I was wondering how I could approach you without all those family members you have and the media that follows each and every one of you around every day noticing. Then one thing led to another and I thought, 'hey. Phones!' It was great.

H: That's a terrible plan.

U: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

H: All that story did was encourage the 'he's insane' idea I have right now.

H: Assuming you are a boy.

U: Last I checked I was.

U: Well Miss Hakuei, I can assure you that I am above 18 years old but I am not a senior citizen. According to my doctor I am sane but my drinking buddies may disagree. As for the criminal…does stealing your heart count?

H: Not if you can't steal it.

U: You underestimate me.

H: This is ridiculous!

U: We will just talk. I'll never ask to meet you unless you want to. No photo's unless I've given you a warning and told you what it is ahead of time. And you can keep track of all the texts so you can give them to the police if you want. If after a few conversations you decide this is too weird, just block me again. I can take a hint.

H: Apparently you can't.

U: (｡◕‿‿◕｡) pwease?

H: Now that is just embarrassing.

U: And yet….

H: Fine. FINE! You've got one week. Then I will block you!

U: And I will do all I can to convince you not to.

H: You never will.

U: Never say never darling. For now, you should get some beauty sleep. Not that you need it of course.

H: Can't. I'm doing work.

U: Why are you still working? It's late! You should be at home watching Netflix!

 _Well at least he's not stalking where I am twenty four seven._

H: I've got lots of things to do with work.

U: Take the night off. It will still be there in the morning.

H: That's what worries me.

U: True, but won't the work look much better after a good night's sleep?

H:…

H: ̿'̿'\̵͇̿̿\з=( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)=ε/̵͇̿̿/'̿̿ ̿ ̿ ̿ ̿ ̿ Go away.

U: Nice keyboard art.

H: Notice the guns?

U: And THAT'S my cue to leave. Goodnight darling. ┬┴┬┴┤ ͜ʖ ͡°) ├┬┴┬┴

H: That's just freaky.

H: Stranger?

It took Hakuei a few minutes to realize that he must have turned his phone off. Ignoring the pit in her stomach she slipped her phone into her pocket and tried to go back to work. But whether it was from sleep or her conversation she just couldn't concentrate. What had she just agreed to?

…

* * *

After a week, Hakuei hadn't blocked him.

After two weeks, she hadn't blocked him.

Nearly three weeks had passed and she hadn't blocked the stranger. She knew it wasn't smart, but if nothing else the conversations were a good distraction for all the work she had. The person was funny, though sometimes cocky. She learned a few things about him that she hoped were true. He lived a little outside of town, where he wouldn't tell her. His best friend was apparently a workaholic, though the stranger seemed to have a problem with work anyway. He really liked fish, and once sent her a picture of a fish he was eating. (Why, she had no idea). They discussed anything from why pigs can't fly to what you would do if you were going to die the next day. It was almost peaceful admitting her opinions to someone she hadn't met. Eventually, she'd decided to go and name his contact 'Anonymous Friend,' or AF for short.

AF: Why not sexy bad boy?

H: No.

AF: How about secret lover who you wish was with you right now?

H: ಠ_ಠ No.

The distraction from work was more welcome than she'd anticipated. With the cooperation with a new company came a whole lot of work. She'd met with the boss quite a few times after the first meeting, but mostly she talked to his assistant. The boss was overly friendly and usually skimped off on doing work when he could. His assistant insisted that he was reliable when it came down to it, but Hakuei was skeptical. Other than that he seemed fine. Still quite cocky, but fine. Not that she spent much time to really decide that. Every time she saw him he was busy with other work, talking to her cousin Kouen or flirting with one of their employees. She swore she saw one women writing his name surrounded by hearts on her notepad.

Kougyoku had been the one to advise Hakuei not to spend too much time with him. Not that Hakuei wanted to, but Kougyoku said it wasn't a good idea for business. Apparently the media followed their manager around daily. If they saw him with a women from a different company, the media would have a field day. Since the companies were trying to keep the merger a secret until all the details were sorted out, Kouen agreed to the idea.

On a particular day Hakuei came back from lunch with her brothers Koumei and Kouha. Hakuei was filling Koumei in on the culture of one of their new allied countries so he, the communications specialist, would be able to set up a meeting. Kouha was actually in charge of their workers inclusion program, but he'd wanted to tag along to try Hakuei's favourite restaurant. "I've got some more files in my desk," Hakuei was telling her cousin as she led him through. "As a warning, you might want to take your bird's home that day."

"Why?" Koumei asked.

"Because the country seems to have a big thing for snakes." When they reached Hakuei's desk the three stopped short. Hakuei blinked and tilted her head at it. Was that really her desk?

Sitting on the desk was the biggest bouquet Hakuei had ever seen. It was held together by a large glass vase that had a single white ribbon around it. The flowers were light pink chrysalides that lit up the mostly dreary office area. The floral smell enraptured the entire room making it feel more like a garden than a place of business. There was a small letter tied to one of the flowers at the side. She didn't have to see it to know what it would say.

AF

"Looks like someone has a lover," Koumei smirked.

"Who is it? Who is it?" Kouha dove at the letter. Hakuei barely had enough time to pull it out of his reach before he could yank it out of her hands. "I must know!"

"How do you expect me to know?" Hakuei asked, flustered. She tried to push the flowers out of their line of view and get back to the task at hand. "K-Koumei, here is the file you need. I think that's e-everything…"

"You know who this is from," Koumei realized as his smile got even bigger. "That's why you aren't reading the letter."

"Come on sister! You have to tell us right away!" Kouha practically begged. "I can't believe you'd keep something like this from me! Is it your boyfriend?"

"N-no!" Hakuei exclaimed. "And you two have work to do!"

"AW, come on!"

"Out, now!" Kouha and Koumei begrudgingly allowed her to shove them out of her office and into the hall. She ignored the protests as she closed her door, being sure to lock it for good measure. She waited a few minutes to be sure they were gone before taking a seat and pulling out her phone. Of course, there was a message waiting for her.

AF: did you get my flowers?

H: Yes. How did you know chrysalides were my favourite?

AF: Let's call it a lucky guess.

H: Right. You think you have all the luck in the world don't you?

AF: I don't like to brag but…

H: Well you weren't very lucky today. My Brothers were with me when I found them. Now they are suspicious.

AF: Oh, I'm sure they'll love me.

H: You obviously haven't met them. They'd just accuse you of being a stalker.

AF: I am not a stalker. Stalkers hurt people.

H: you are hurting my patience and sanity.

AF: If that were true, why haven't you blocked me weeks ago like you said you would?

 _Darn. I was hoping he wouldn't notice._

H: It slipped my mind. Thanks for the reminder.

AF: Of course it did.

H: It did.

AF: I'm not arguing.

H: It did. The second I get the chance I'm going to block you. Really.

AF: You have a second now. Just do it now.

H: Can't. I'm supposed to be working.

AF: Yet you're still talking to me? I'm honoured.

H: Just because you hate getting work done doesn't mean the rest of us can afford to let it wait.

AF: I don't hate doing work. I just hate paperwork.

H: In the business world, it's the same thing.

AF: If you say so.

H: I say so.

AF: You haven't said if you liked the flowers or not.

H: I hated how they were given.

AF: But….

H: And now I hate how I'm going to have to make up some story for my brothers so they don't think I'm insane.

AF: But… (¬‿¬)

H:…But they were lovely. Thank you.

AF: The pleasure is all mine.

…

* * *

Nearly three months later Hakuei had the worst night of her life.

She wasn't sure what the worst part had been. It was supposed to be a dinner with her brother and mother, a reunion of sorts. Their mother had left them years ago to go off with some man wearing a mask with a pointy blonde beard and travel the world. Hakuei and Hakuryuu had been left behind and were shocked to get the phone call from her years later asking if they wanted to meet. Hakuei readily agreed, hoping that she and her brother could get some closure. Their cousins had tried to warn them it wasn't a good idea but neither had listened. They wanted answers from back then, and while neither would admit it, they wanted an apology. An apology for leaving them right after brothers and father had died like they weren't important and leaving them at the mercy of their uncle.

They didn't get an apology.

On a smaller scale, the dinner itself was terrible. The waiter was rude, the food itself tasted terrible, and Hakuryuu hadn't even gotten what he ordered. Instead of pizza he got some kind of salmon. They thought it was salmon. Their mother arrived half an hour late, and when she came she had brought company. They didn't know the strange man with long black hair. He wasn't the one she had left them with. She had introduced him as David, and while he started off nice, both siblings squirmed whenever he spoke. He was an open extremist, not to mention openly prideful and selfish. He couldn't believe Hakuei was one of the head members of the Kou Cooperation and said that if someone else was in charge the company would be doing better. The two struggled not to leave as the man went on to talk about his business in manufacturing that Hakuryuu secretly believed was a cover up for an illegal drug company. They hardly got to speak to their mother during the meal while he went on about his great plans for the future.

Then he decided to go and get dessert elsewhere so the three could talk. That was when things really started going wrong.

She started as if nothing had changed. As if she hadn't left them years ago and they were just meeting again after a few weeks. When Hakuryuu decided to bring it up she avoided the topic until she couldn't anymore. When she did she made a mountain of excuses neither were sure they could believe. _It was just so hard for me, when they died in that fire…I-I just needed some time to really find myself…of course you meant the world to me but how could I have taken care of you when I couldn't take care of myself?...you may not realize it yet, but when you have kids you will know I was doing what was best for you…Someday you will understand._

Hakuryuu already understood. Neither of them bought into her excuses or her claims of innocence and doing the right thing. A mother who truly cared for her children would at least make sure they would be cared for before running off, not just leave them a note on the kitchen table one day. Hakuryuu had demanded she explain why she had really come. What did she really want? Their mother had feigned innocence at the whole thing. _Can a loving mother not come to see her children?_

 _Not after 20 years!_ Hakuryuu had yelled back. _Not unless you want something from us!_

Hakuei wondered what she could want. They had nothing to give. They had well-paying jobs but it seemed like she was doing well for herself when it came to money. Perhaps she had come to ease her own guilt, try and prove to herself that she had done the right thing. Her eyes had trailed down to the jacket David had left behind on his chair. There was a business card sticking out of his pocket.

Of course. His business.

The siblings both realized that he was the only reason that she had come back. The Kou Cooperation specialized in inventions and new products. With their alliance with the shipping company months ago that made the company extremely useful and profitable for a guy like David. As soon as the opinion was voiced Hakuryuu was outraged. He'd jumped to his feet and screamed at his mother accusations, saying she never cared and that they would not be her toys. Their mother just shook her head at him like he was still a child that didn't know any better. Her last words to them were still engraved in Hakuei's mind.

 _You shouldn't yell at an older lady in public Hakuryuu. Didn't I raise you better?_

No. She hadn't. She hadn't even raised them.

Furious, Hakuryuu and Hakuryuu both dug out enough cash to pay for their meals before storming out of the restaurant. If their mother had tried to follow them they didn't notice. Hakuryuu led his sister over to his car and drove off. Neither looked back.

On the way back Hakuryuu was practically screaming in outrage. He couldn't believe their mother, he was ashamed she was their mother, why had they even come? Hakuei had kept her mouth shut, refusing to look away from the road in front of them. Hakuryuu dropped her off at her apartment before shooting off to find the house he shared with his friends Alibaba and Morgianna. Hakuei could hardly remember walking up the stairs, or her trembling hands as she unlocked her door and stepped inside. There was a click as she locked it behind her. Then a thump as she fell to the ground in defeat.

Tears spilled down her eyes.

She hadn't realized how much it would hurt. How much she'd hoped her mother would have a good reason for leaving, some excuse she could at least pretend to buy. While she had done her best to try and put the past behind her, she couldn't avoid the fact that she missed her regular family as a child. Coming home to her parents and big brother who would help her with her homework at night. That fire had taken away some of the only people Hakuei had cared about. Then one of those people turned out to have not cared about her and her brother at all. It wasn't right. Parents weren't supposed to treat their kids like that. Like they could be thrown aside, like they were just dolls to be played with when it was convenient, like….

Like they were absolutely worthless.

Without realizing what she was doing she slipped her hand into her purse. Her fingers numbly wrapped themselves around her phone and searched for a specific contact.

H: Families are terrible.

AF: ? Hakuei?

H: Mother's specifically. The least she could have done was come up with a real explanation. 'I needed to find myself?' Seriously? That has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

AF: Uh, this isn't the best time right now. I'm in the middle of a meeting.

 _What kind of meeting could he be at? It's 10 at night!_

H: Yeah? I thought that my 'prince charming' was supposed to be there for me whenever I needed him. Was that a lie to? Figures. Everyone's lying to me tonight, why not you?

AF: Are you drunk?

H: NO I AM NOT DRUNK YOU JERK! MY MOTHER IS JUST A DEADBEAT WHO HAS NO PROBLEM ABANDONING HER KIDS AS CHILDREN THEN COMING BACK LATER TO HELP HER NEW BOYFRIEND GET A GOOD STAND WITH OUR FATHERS BUISNESS TO HELP HIS DRUG COMPANY!

AF: …

AF: Give me a few minutes.

Her breathing was heavy as she waited those agonizingly long minutes while he finished…whatever it was he had to finish. She couldn't tell if the time calmed her or convinced her to strangle somebody. It felt like an eternity had passed before he finally got back on the phone.

AF: Sorry about that. What's going on?

H: My mother had abandoned my brother and me after our elder brothers and father had died in a fire. This week she'd called and asked us to catch up, so we went. She brought this 'guy' with her who we're pretty sure runs a drug company, then made a bunch of excuses for leaving us. In the end we realized why she had really come and left as quick as we could.

AF: Why did you go?

H: What?

AF: Why did you go? She abandoned you, so why did you go back?

H: I

H: Because

H: I needed answers!

AF: It sounds like you already knew what had happened.

H: It's not

H: I mean

H: That's not how family members are supposed to act.

AF: No, it's not. So why do you still consider her family?

H: She's our mother.

AF: By blood. It doesn't sound like she's done anything else to deserve that title.

H: I

H: I wanted an apology.

AF: An apology.

H: For what she did. For leaving us on our own with nothing but some letter in the kitchen as an explanation. For leaving us confused and feeling worthless, like pieces of garbage that could just be thrown away when they aren't entertaining anymore. I wanted her to answer for what she'd done. For leaving us.

AF: Perhaps her leaving wasn't a bad thing.

H: Excuse me?

AF: She does not sound like a caring mother. But when she left, you got a new family. People who really cared about you. You talk about your cousins and your brother all the time. Sometimes even your brothers who passed. Would you rather her still be her, someone who didn't care for you like she should have, or the cousins who try to convince you to get home to sleep after a long day's work, asks multiple questions about who sent you flowers to your desk and brings you to your apartment at night even when blinded by rage?

AF: Hakuei?

AF: Are you still there?

H: Yes.

AF: Do you still want to talk? Or would you rather be left alone?

H: Just a bit longer.

H: What was your family like?

AF: My childhood was happy, but my parents both died when I was young.

H: I'm sorry. How? If that's okay to ask.

AF: My father died in a car accident. My mother died of sickness a few years later. After that I made a new family with my friends.

H: Your new family?

AF: I prefer to think I have more than one. The one when I was younger and one when I grew up.

AF: I can't perfectly relate to what is happening to you, but I know what it's like to build a new family. You have them. You will be okay.

H: I have you too.

AF: That you do.

AF: You definitely do.

AF: I'm going to get an earful from my friend for ditching that meeting in the middle of discussions.

H: Sorry. Why are you having a meeting at 10 at night?

AF: Ten?

AF: Oh, different time zones. It's only six over here.

AF: No need to miss me, I'm heading back tomorrow.

H: What kind of business do you do anyway?

AF: That's need to know.

H: I believe I need to know.

AF: It's classified. (•_•) ( •_•)⌐■-■ (⌐■_■)

H: You a secret agent or something?

AF: The government wishes. I'd make the best secret agent.

H: Right. With your secret texts spilling dark secrets to a stranger on your phone.

AF: Oh darling, you have no idea what kind of dark secrets I have.

H: I don't think I want to know.

AF: Not yet. But soon. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

H: Has anyone ever told you that you are extremely cocky?

AF: More than you'd expect.

The two of them continued to text for a while. Hakuei wasn't sure how much time had passed, her stuck on her floor while leaning against a door. Him…somewhere far away probably avoiding his friend so he wouldn't get yelled at. They didn't talk about what had happened again. Instead they sent each other weird faces, made jokes about his character flaws and pointed out a few of hers.

H: Hey AF?

AF: Yeah?

H: Thanks.

…

* * *

After over half a year Hakuei sent a text that she knew she was going to regret.

H: Let's meet.

AF: ….

AF: I'm sorry, did someone steal your phone

H: Stop making fun of me before I take it back.

AF: you actually want to meet me? In person?

H: Against my better judgment.

AF: What caused this change?

H: I don't know. I've been considering it for a while and I guess…I just gave up.

H: If I'm going to keep talking to you, I'd rather know who I'm divulging my secrets and opinions in.

AF: It could end badly.

H: Yes.

AF: But it could be good.

H: Yes.

AF: Are you sure?

H: No. So let's get it over with.

AF: So enthusiastic. ಠ_ಥ

AF: Alright. I know a little café that you'd love.

H: no.

AF: ?No?

H: I'm not meeting you alone. Just because I'm starting to like you doesn't mean I trust you. As far as I know you really are some creepy old man.

AF: Do I sound like an old man to you?

H: Honestly? Sometimes.

AF: ಠ_ಠ Rude.

AF: Fine. How about we meet at the restaurant across from your work? You can bring a friend if you like.

H: I can't think of any friends I'd want to bring with me to something like this. They'd either kill you, judge me, or freak out.

AF: I'd rather not die today. Okay then…let's do it tomorrow. We'll meet for lunch in the middle of the day, lots of people around, and at the end of the meal if we still want to talk we'll go over to your work where you feel safe and secure. You tell one of your siblings that you have a meeting with a business co-worker but you don't know much about them so they come and check on you in an hour if you aren't back.

AF: And you can bring your own drink if you want to be sure I don't spike it.

H: Thanks for the hint. I might bring a can of pepper spray too.

H:…But that sounds fine.

AF: Really?

H: yeah.

AF: Yes! Until then my dearest! (づ￣ ³￣)づ

H: I'm going to find out you are a complete dork aren't I?

AF: A very, very sexy dork.

H: I regret this already.

…

* * *

In the end, Hakuei had decided to tell Kouen. He was the only cousin who would take the situation seriously enough to make sure he did what he was told, and not too seriously so he would go over and stalk her. He promised to give her a call at 1:00 and if she didn't specifically pick up the phone, he'd come looking for her. Secretly she hoped he would be able to get out of his meeting on time. If not, she knew he would send Kougyoku or Kouha. Neither of them would be a good option.

At around 12:00 she had taken a seat at her favourite restaurant. AF had said he would meet her there around that time, but had mentioned he might be a little late. Hakuei had decided to wear a more casual outfit to work that had unfortunately caught her sibling's interest. Her hair was down but she'd used a pink flower clip to hold the right side back. Her normal black and white office clothes became a summer dress with a black suit jacket to make it look more professional. Hakuei wasn't sure why she was bothering to get dressed up. But a part of her told her _DO IT DO IT!_ As she waited however she wondered what was the point. Her strange friend was taking longer than she'd expected. He'd told her he may be late, but it had almost been ten minutes.

 _If he'd not here in another ten minutes, I'll leave,_ Hakuei decided stubbornly. A sip of water helped calm her nerves for a moment. Then they broke when the door was opened. Hakuei sighed in annoyance as she ran a hand through her hair. _Calm down,_ she told herself while she ignored the sound of footsteps walking through the restaurant. _You've already spoken to this man. You know what he's like, the kind of person he is. Why are you so worried?_ Hakuei was so absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't notice the pair of feet walking over to her table. She didn't notice until the stranger had come up to her. Then she looked up at him.

"Oh, President Sinbad," Hakuei politely bowed at the purple haired man in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

At first he blinked in surprise. Then, slowly, he smiled. "Just…having lunch with a friend." There was that same cocky smile on his face that he'd worn for the past 6 months. The odd thing was it actually looked like he was trying to hold it back. What was so funny? She had no idea what he would be doing over at the restaurant anyway. He was supposed to be having a meeting with Kouen. They still had a few loose ends to clean up before the businesses could finally merge. The Sindrian Cooperation and Kou Inc. still had lots of work to do.

"So am I, actually. I'm afraid I can't talk about business right now, because I'm waiting for a friend here." Sinbad nodded again, but didn't move. She frowned, glancing down at the clock on her phone. _What is taking him so long? Did I get stood up?_

"I'm not here for business either," Sinbad said, pretending ignorance to Hakuei's glare that said, GO AWAY. As he spoke he slipped out his phone and was writing something into it. Probably a note? "It's hard for me to really get to know a person outside of work, you know? With the media following me all the time rumors keep spreading…make it hard to get to know the real them."

"That's nice," Hakuei said, only half paying attention. Out of the corner of her eye she kept glancing back at the door trying to see anyone new who walked through. _Where is he?_

"Sometimes it's actually pretty cool," Sinbad was saying. "If I really want to get to know someone I have to go to really elaborate means to get to know them."

"President Sinbad, if you don't mind,"

"Like talking through another person," Sinbad rattled on. "Or asking all their friends about them. Setting up secret days that we can meet…Or asking her co-worker if he knows what her work number is, giving the excuse that it's for business reasons." Hakuei stopped protesting. "Then, when she blocks you, finding her personal number in her cousin's contact info when he's not paying attention." Her eyes widened as Sinbad slipped his phone back into his pocket. No. That made no sense. It couldn't be…Sinbad tilted his head towards her phone which had started to buzz. "Aren't you going to pick that up?" While stubbornly ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach, she pulled her phone up and went to her new text.

AF: I'm Sinbad.


	9. Chapter 9 Snow Hakuei

Snow Hakuei

 **Hi everybody! I'm actually writing this fanfic for Lizardsmtoao. Thank you so much for the amazing review on the rule of the twelve! I was having an interesting week and I really needed the pick-me up. Thank you everyone who writes reviews I honestly go back to them whenever I need encouragement. Writing style goes to chellerbelle. I hope you all enjoy the story!**

Once upon a time in a castle far far away there was a large country ruled by a great king. This king and his beloved wife had four beautiful children. The family ruled the country well and they were all very happy.

…

"Happy?" Hakuryuu asked. "I wouldn't have called us a 'happy' family.

"I believe in this alternate universe we were supposed to have one Hakuryuu," Hakuei replied.

"This what?' Hakuryuu asked.

"Alternate universe," Aladdin replied. "It's another world that has the same characters that our world has, only the lives they lead are a different one directed by the author. And judging from the beginning of the story I would say this one is likely going to resemble the beginning of a fairy-tale."

 **Hey guys. Can you try and not interrupt so much? You're going to make the story unnecessarily long.**

"Who was that?" Hakuryuu questioned.

"That would be the author," Aladdin replied. "Silversnowflake, right? It's nice to meet you!"

 **I'm trying to write the story here! You can't interrupt all the time or I'll never finish!**

"I'm just trying to help you miss! In case you didn't notice, you forgot to explain what kind of story this is."

"Yeah!' Alibaba replied. "…what is it?"

"Oh, it looks like silversnowflake is writing an alternate universe fairy tale starting with the kou family. Hm, from the looks of the title it is going to be a parody of snow white, which would make Hakuei the princess and the main character! I wonder who your true love is going to be onee-san," Aladdin smiled up at a confused looking Hakuei.

"True LOVE?" Hakuryuu exclaimed.

 **Stop spoiling the story before I've written it!**

"Right. Of course, go ahead."

"Wait, I want to hear more about this 'true love' thing."

"You will if you let the author write the story. Goodness Hakuryuu, don't interrupt her. It's rude!"

…

The four siblings included three exceptionally skilled and clever elder brothers. But the third child was a beautiful girl named Hakuei Ren. Even as a young girl Hakuei was beautiful, with eyes that shone like the sea and raven coloured hair and lips the colour of roses.

…

"Eyes like the sea?" Hakuryuu mused, glancing at his sister. "No one ever described it like that."

"To be honest, most people have related me to a jewel because of my name," Hakuei replied. "Why would someone relate my eyes to the sea? I'm hardly ever around the sea."

"Yeah," Aladdin, who had read the script, sweated uncomfortably. "W-what a mystery. W-who knows?"

…

Unfortunately even for such a wonderful family, life is not kind.

After the birth of prince Hakuryuu the queen grew gravely ill, and soon died. Distraught with the death of his beloved, the king went out in search for another to help fill the void. Eventually he found a women named Arba.

…

"Whelp. We're dead." Hakuryuu gulped.

"My dear son, must you be so rude to the women who raised you?" Arba asked.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE?"

"All characters who are in the story are invited to watch, I believe," Hakuei told her brother.

"Wait, all of them? How many people are going to be here?"

"Err…"

…

The king fell in love with the woman's beauty and married her right away. But while Queen Arba was beautiful on the outside, she was vain and cruel on the inside.

…

"Was there ever any doubt?" Hakuryuu grumbled.

"Why must you be so cruel to me Hakuryuu?" Arba huffed. "If anyone, I'm the victim here! What have I ever done to you?"

"You killed my father and my elder brothers, you brought a group of terrorists into my country, you mentally scared and used me for years, you threatened my sister's life behind her back to anger me, not to mention the only reason you even had children is so you could take over and destroy their lives. And you've been doing this for generations!"

"…Besides all that."

"THE ONLY REASON YOU HAD CHILDREN WAS SO YOU COULD POSSESS THEM AND RUIN THEIR LIVES."

"You are so sensitive. I didn't poses you did I?"

"You tried!"

…

Queen Arba didn't care for the good of the country or for her newfound 'family.' She just wanted the throne and all the glory for herself. One night when everyone was asleep, the queen set fire to the royal chambers. The king was killed almost instantly, along with the two eldest brothers who had tried to save their father. That left only the two youngest siblings, both of which were too young to rule. And so the queen got to lead to her heart's content.

She ruled the kingdom with an iron fist, making sure that all the kingdom knew that she was the strongest, most beautiful women in all the kingdom.

…

"Actually, I just thought of something," Hakuei spoke up. "Wouldn't it make more sense if the story was told with Kougyoku as the main character? I mean, Arba actually is her step-mother, and while she grew up to be a great empress, she did start off as rather naïve and foolish."

"…I think that's…a compliment?" Kougyoku guessed.

"When you first met Sinbad, you weren't exactly thinking clearly," Hakuryuu answered honestly.

"WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT TIME!"

 **I considered writing another story with kougyoku as the main character. Still might. But for now, Kougyoku declined the role.**

"Why?"

"Why be the princess when I'm an Empress?"

"Huh. I guess that's true," Hakuryuu mused as Kouha sprayed confetti all over his glowing sister. "But wait, doesn't Hakuei become the queen of her country in the end?"

 **Not of Kou. In this one she would become the queen of the country of her true love.**

"Who the heck is this guy?" Hakuryuu asked. IN the background, Aladdin tried to hide from Hakuryuu's wrath. _Ooooooh boy this is not going to end well._

…

Queen Arba cast the two youngest children aside, feeling they posed no threat to her.

…

"So just like the real world then," Hakuryuu replied.

…

Every night queen Arba would go to her magic mirror named Isnan and ask, "Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all."

Isnan would reply, "My queen you are the fairest of them all."

…

"Ha! Isnan is a mirror!" Alibaba laughed. "Serves him right!"

Isnan grumbled in the corner.

…

But as time went on her decision to ignore princess Hakuei was one she came to regret. Princess Hakuei grew up to be a beautiful clever women with a heart of gold, beloved by all the people. Arba began to worry that the young women would start a rebellion and try and take back the kingdom.

…

"Hey what about me?" Hakuryuu complained. "I'm a threat to! What about my rebellion? I killed gyokuen, remember?"

"Oh please brother, not another rebellion," Hakuei begged.

"Do you know how many people DIED in that rebellion?" Kouha asked him.

"Hundreds of people that for some reason we never seem to think about again?" Kougyoku reminded him.

"I almost died," Kouen replied.

"And, I should mention that what you did resulted in the sister you swore to protect being possessed by Arba and have her life be out of her control for three years?" Koumei added.

"…Okay, I get it. No more rebellions." Hakuryuu sighed.

…

But Hakuei had no desire to take back the kingdom by force. She knew how many lives would be lost, and hoped that someday she would be able to help the people as a simple general, able to keep the people safe and govern those in need.

When Queen Arba heard of her desires she laughed in content. The girl did not care for the crown, she just wanted to help the people! As long as Arba was in charge, she could keep Hakuei under her little finger with no effort.

As time went on, the little Hakuei grew up. She became even more beautiful with age. When she was in her twenties her smile seemed to be made of gold and all would stop to look at her.

…

"So…strangers are staring at me everywhere I go?" Hakuei asked. "That sounds…disconcerting."

"It's because you're beautiful one-saan!" Aladdin tried to encourage her.

"Oi, move away from my sister!"

…

It wasn't until queen Arba held a great ball that things started to go wrong. The ball was to celebrate her tenth year on the throne, were all would come to bask in her beauty. All the royal families, lords and ladies from all allied countries were invited. The royal court of Balbaad, the leaders of Laem, the king of heliophatt…

…

"Ugh, it's starting to get really crowded in here," Kouha grumbled as people began piling in with every new country mentioned. "We don't have enough snacks!"

"Well…at least Judal isn't here," Alibaba shrugged.

...

The royal families of various countries all intermingled. Titus met with his friend Sphintus, Kouha looked for his young friend Aladdin and Kougyoku went off to play with her friend Judal.

…

"GOSHDAMMIT WHY?" Alibaba screamed.

"WHAT UP MY PEEPS WHO MISSED ME?" No one raised their hands. "Wow. Rude."

"Where have you been?" Kougyoku asked. "You went missing ages ago! What happened to you after Alibaba got back?"

"Oh that? Well that's easy, I was just-"

 **Stop talking, I'm trying to write!**

…

The night came to the part where the royal guests would offer the queen gifts of thanks for the evening. All bowed towards the queen respectfully, giving her praise to her beauty. But Arba noticed each of them sneaking a glance at princess Hakuei who sat at her side.

…

"Because they don't do that now?" Kouha snickered while Hakuei blushed.

"No one should be looking at my sister! Who knows what kind of vile thoughts they could have?" Hakuryuu panicked, putting his arm in front of his sister protectively.

"Ha! You should be more worried about the vile thoughts her true love will be having about her!" Judal laughed.

"What true love?" Hakuei asked, scanning the crowd of people. "I'm not romantically interested in any of these people."

Judal stared at the readers. "Gee. I wonder who it could be."

…

The last guest was the most famous of them all. The king who had united the countries in an alliance, the dungeon capturer of the seven seas, King Sinbad. Queen Arba had heard tales of the first class singularity and couldn't wait to finally see him in person. When she saw the man himself she was entranced by his appearance. A part of her was tempted to take some time to get to know the king more 'personally' after the ball.

…

"Ew, ew, ew, ew!" Hakuryuu ran from the room to try and find a way to cleanse his brain while Hakuei covered her face to try and hide her red face.

Sinbad watched Hakuryuu go with interest. "What about me kissing someone so disgusting to them?" He asked.

"Dude, they just pictured you making out with their mom."

"…EW."

…

But the king's reaction was different compared to the rest. "Queen Arba, congratulations on successfully ruling the country of Kou for the past ten years."

…

"SUCCESSFULLY?" Hakuryuu complained.

…

After giving his congratulations, Arba expected to be complemented on her beauty, or to be asked to dance. But Sinbad was braver than the other members of the royal families and did not fear Arba's reaction. So instead he turned away from her and caught sight of the princess who sat at her side. The king was taken in by her beauty and instantly fell in love with her.

…

"Now THAT is a much more pleasant thought to have," Sinbad concluded.

Hakuryuu and Kouha did not agree. "SINBAD? He is her true love?"

Sinbad pouted. "Hakuryuu, I'm hurt! And I thought we were friends!"

"You weren't in love with my sister before!" Hakuryuu argued.

Judal just shrugged while he bit into his peach. "I don't know why you're so surprised. This is one of the Sinei stories you know. Besides," Judal wiggled his eyebrows. "Who knows what weird stuff Sinbad did to Hakuei's body for the three years she was with him?"

"Hey!" Sinbad barked back, ignoring an enraged Hakuryuu being held back by Alibaba and Aladdin. "While I certainly have no objections to spending some…quality time with dear Hakuei…"

"Wait, what?" Hakuei asked.

"…I would never do that to someone who couldn't give their full consent! Besides, she was being possessed by Arba!"

"So?" Judal asked.

"Have you met Arba? Work with her, sure. But get personal, never. That lady is CRAZY."

"Eh, that's fair."

"Did you all forget that I am sitting right here?" Arba grumbled.

"No," they all answered.

She huffed. "Well excuse me! I was a beautiful women when I still had my body you know!"

"Yeah, which was what, 1000 years ago?" Judal shrugged. "Now all you've got is some temporary body of a kid."

"And according to this story, whatever you looked like was nothing compared to what my Hakuei looks like."

"Sorry, 'my' Hakuei?"

Sinbad sent her a sly smile. "Well I wouldn't mind…"

"LET ME KILL HIM, JUST ONE LITTLE SLICE!" Kouha was shouting in the background.

Hakuei on the other hand put both hands on her hips. "I'm not 'yours.'"

"That can easily be changed," Sinbad explained. "Besides, I know almost everything about you."

"Wait, what?"

"Arba used to struggle to stay in character. So I took some time to learn more about you in case your friends asked." Sinbad's smile grew while Hakuei started to turn a little pale. "I certainly loved hearing about the time you wanted to run away to join a circus."

"Whoa, when was that?" Kouha asked, momentarily forgetting his rage.

Hakuei panicked. "I-It was nothing, I was just a kid, my brothers read a story, it was nothing!" Turning back to Sinbad she whispered, "Don't you DARE say a word."

He smiled innocently. "Depends on what you're offering. I'm not above being bribed to keep a secret darling," Sinbad purred.

"Do these lines actually work with women?" Hakuei asked.

"You tell me. Is it working?"

"No."

…

Queen Arba was absolutely enraged by the king's advancements towards her step daughter, but to save face she pretended it didn't bother her. She tried to convince herself that perhaps the king just had bad taste and couldn't see that the queen was much prettier. Sinbad was undeterred by the queen's reaction and spent the rest of the evening by Hakuei's side. The two danced to every song and were the joy of the ball much to the queen's envy. Near the end of the ball when it was time to say goodbye Arba overheard Sinbad asking princess Hakuei if they could meet again.

"I certainly would hate to lose the most beautiful women in all the land."

…

"Looks like I've got good taste," Sinbad smirked.

"Oh please," Hakuei scoffed. "You only fell in love with my looks in the story. This version of you only just met me."

"It's a fairy tale darling. Which means that there isn't enough time in the story to fill in those details." Sinbad raised one eyebrow at her. "Now if you want to fill in those gaps in real life I'd be happy to oblige."

"No. I've known you for a total of ten minutes and no."

…

The queen was outraged. She stormed down to the magic mirror Isnan and asked him the same question she did every night. "Mirror mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all?"

Instead the mirror answered, "My dear queen is fair indeed. But Princess Hakuei is fairer than she."

…

"It's really not that hard. Arba's black hole of a heart destroys any kind of beauty she could have," Hakuryuu told them. "And Sinbad, get your hands off my sister!"

…

The queen refused to accept this. She called the huntsman Judal and ordered him to bring back the heart of princess Hakuei.

…

"Wait, her heart? As in, her actual heart?" Kougyoku shivered.

Judal on the other hand laughed maniacally. "OH YEAH IT'S MY TIME TO SHINE BABY!"

Sinbad growled. "Miss author?"

 **Um…yeah?**

"Just as a warning, if Judal lays one hand on Hakuei, I will end his life. Is that understood?"

 **…Yeah…crystal…just, uh, let me make a few changes to the story here…**

…

But when Judal brought the princess into the forest to the forest to kill her he couldn't bring himself to kill someone with such a kind heart.

…

"LIES. ALL LIES. I'VE KILLED FOR LESS, WE ALL KNOW IT."

…

Instead he warned the princess of what the queen was planning to do and told her to run away and find a place to hide. To appease the queen he gave her the heart of a dear, saying that it was Hakuei's.

…

"EW!" Kougyoku cringed at the sight.

"What kind of person is happy by the heart of a dear?" Alibaba asked.

"A crazy one," Sinbad muttered. Turning back to Hakuei he added, "How someone like you could ever come from someone like her is beyond me."

Hakuei crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You really think this is going to work don't you? Stop wasting your time king Sinbad and just give up."

"How about you give up on pretending you don't have feelings for me."

Hakuei rolled her eyes. "Make me!"

Sinbad grinned. "I love it when people say that…"

…

Poor Hakuei ran through the forest in search of shelter. After having run the whole night she finally found a small house in the middle of the forest. It was secluded from any civilization, the perfect place to hide.

…

"What kind of weirdo builds his house far away from any people so he can be a loner all on his own?" Hakuryuu asked.

Yunan sniffled to the side. "I-It's not that weird. W-why must you be so mean prince Hakuryuu!" He ran away and Morgianna chased after him.

"Ugh! Now look what you did Hakuryuu!" Aladdin shook his head while Hakuryuu watched in confusion.

…

When Hakuei went to knock on the door, she found that the door was left open. Curious, and tired form her long travel, she let herself in. It was a cozy little place, perhaps quite large compared to most cabins. It had a kitchen, a living area, a beautiful garden out back and upstairs lay one large bedroom. Seven beds lay to one side, each with their own designs. Hakuei was so tired she took the closest one and fell asleep instantly.

…

"Hakuei since when did you make it a habit to go sleeping in strangers beds," Sinbad teased her.

Hakuei glared back at him. "Oh, bite me."

"Do NOT encourage him," Jafar begged.

…

When Hakuei woke up the next morning, she was shocked to find she was surrounded by 8 strangers. There was 6 men, and two women. One girl was much shorter than the rest, and two of the men were taller than any human she had ever seen before. Nervously Hakuei asked, "Who are you?"

"We're the eight generals," the silver haired man replied.

…

"Eight GENERALS?" Alibaba asked. "Okay, that was definitely NOT in the original."

 **I'm taking a bit of creative license here.**

"It's called snow white and the SEVEN dwarves, not eight," Alibaba complained.

 **You decide which of those angels shouldn't be included then come talk to me.**

"Wait, if Hakuei is with the eight generals of Sindria…" Kougyoku muttered. "Then…Does that mean…"

"Oh HECK no!" Hakuryuu and Kouha both jumped to their feet at the same time.

Sinbad winked at Hakuei. "Looks like you and I will be seeing quite a bit of each other huh?"

Hakuei went pale. "Oh no."

…

The eight introduced themselves as Jafar, Masrur, Drakkon, Hinahoho, Sharkkon, Spartos, Yamuriha and Pisti. They had heard of what had happened in the country of Kou and quickly agreed that she could stay. Jafar revealed that the house was actually owned by the king Sinbad, and it worked as a home they could stay in whenever they were traveling in the area. As soon as Sinbad heard that Hakuei was staying there he rushed to her side immediately.

…

"This is not how it went in the fairy tale! I object!" Hakuryuu complained.

 **What, you didn't think that after meeting once they would just fall in love and that would actually make sense did you?**

"That's how it works in fairy tales!" Kougyoku argued.

 **Not in my story sister.**

"But I thought Hakuei was already in love with me," Sinbad mentioned. "Not that I blame her. I mean, who could resist me?"

"Did you not read the lines properly," Hakuei argued. "It said you fell in love with me. I never fell in love with you."

"And I have no problem taking some time out of my schedule to change that," Sinbad answered, slipping his arm around her shoulder. "How about we start with the most common way of getting to know someone. Often involving food, perhaps getting a bit dressed up, some conversation…" He trailed off so Hakuei could come to her own conclusions.

"Do…do you want to go to dinner with me?" Hakuei tried to piece his words together.

Sinbad chuckled. "Well, if you insist."  
"Dang, she walked right into that one," Alibaba muttered.

…

For a while the little group lived together in harmony. The generals and Sinbad often had to leave for work, but would come back with messages about her country. As time went on, Sinbad and Hakuei grew closer than before, and Hakuei began to realize she loved the king just as much as he did her.

…

"Team Sin for the win!" Sinbad cheered. Hakuei rolled her eyes while Kouha struggled to break free of Koumei and Kouen's hold.

"Calm down brother," Kouen whispered.

"Just wait Kouha," Koumei assured him. "You will get your chance…just be patient."

"That is NOT what we are trying to tell him here!" Kouen argued.

Sharkkon laughed at the scene. "Looks like the lady killer of the seven seas is falling in loooove. And they even share a house together!"

"I wouldn't talk if I were you," Alibaba advised him. "I mean, you're sharing a room with Yamu."

"W-what? No we aren't."

"The story said that all generals have the same room," Yamu reminded him.

Sharkkon hoped his face wasn't as red as it felt. "…Oh…W-well that doesn't mean anything! It's all the generals, it's not like we're…"

While Sharkkon tried to make excuses, Sinbad leaned over so he could whisper in Hakuei's ear. "Perhaps we could take our little party of two to my private rooms to spend the night, hm?"

Hakuei gave him a puzzled look. "Why would we do that? I think I'll want to be asleep by nightfall, wouldn't you?"

"…Wow, Kou really works hard to try and keep their princesses pure, don't they?"

"Sucks, doesn't it?" Kougyoku huffed. "Our stupid rules won't even let us fall in love."

"What am I, chopped liver?"

Hakuei glanced back. "Was that Aladdin or Judal?"

"…yes."

…

Back at the palace queen Arba returned to the mirror Isnan. "Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"

"My queen is fair indeed, but princess Hakuei is fairer than she."

"But that is impossible," The queen raged. "I have her heart right here!"

Isnan replied, "That is the heart of a dear, the princess lives on.

…

"Can she really not tell the difference between the heart of a dear and the heart of a human?" Judal asked. "Amateur."

Everyone else slowly shifted away from him.

…

The queen demanded she be shown where Hakuei was. The mirror revealed Hakuei staying at the small cottage hand in hand with king Sinbad.

…

Hakuryuu shook his head. "Stop. No. This is not alright. Stop this. Now."

"You might as well get used to the sight Hakuryuu," Sinbad warned him. "You're going to be seeing it more often."

…

Queen Arba worried that Sinbad and Hakuei would start a mutiny against her. She knew she was not strong enough to defeat Sinbad and his eight generals, but knew she had to get rid of Hakuei. So she decided to go into disguise and poison Hakuei instead. Using dark magic she conjured herself to look like an ugly hag that would not be recognized.

A few days later the Sindrian residents had to return to their country for a few days because of business matters. As they left, as Sinbad gave Hakuei a kiss goodbye…

…

"A French kiss, right?" Sinbad asked.

"A kiss from my fist sounds better," Hakuei muttered.

"I thought you were a pacifist unless it was for defense," Sinbad asked.

"It's not too late to change my mind."

…

"I won't be gone long," Sinbad assured her. "When I am done with business I'll come straight back to you. I just wish I didn't have to leave you all alone."

"I will be alright," Hakuei told him. "I will miss you every minute you are gone."

…

"No. No I won't." Hakuei corrected.

"Aw, don't worry love," Sinbad assured her. "If I ever go on trips, I'll make sure you can come on every one of them so you don't miss me."

"Please don't," Hakuei replied.

"I'm not even sure it's possible to miss someone every single minute," Alibaba wondered.

"You're going to miss me when I'm gone….you're going to miss me when I'm goooone," Kougyoku sang under her breath.

…

"Be careful who you let in," Sinbad advised her. "If the queen is still looking for you that means you are in danger. Don't let anyone in unless it is one of us."

…

"Yeah, Because Sinbad wants Hakuei all to himself," Judal snickered.

"That counts as imprisonment," Hakuei informed them.

"I don't see you trying to leave," Sinbad reminded her.

"Maybe there's a reason snow white eats the poisoned apple," Hakuryuu grumbled.

…

After promising her king that she would not let anyone in the house until they had gone the group left her alone. When they were gone Hakuei struggled to find ways to entertain herself. As she was trying to bake a pie, there was a knock on the door that interrupted her.

…

"PRAISE BE TO SMALL MIRACLES," Hakuryuu sang.

"Honestly, if the queen wanted her dead she could have left Hakuei alone and she would have died from her own cooking," Seisyuun told them.

…

While Hakuei wouldn't open the door for the stranger, she opened a window so she could speak to her. "Hello? Who is there?"

"Oh just an old lady from the neighborhood my dear," She told her. "My name is Elizabeth, and I just wanted to come say hello."

…

"Huh. So she disguised herself as Elizabeth then."

"WHYYYYY?" Alibaba screamed as he ran for his life.

"Alibaba-kun, did you miss me?" Elizabeth asked as she chased him. Morgianna jumped to her feet with fire in her eyes.

"Morgianna, please," Aladdin tried to calm her. "We're already going to lose Sinbad after this. We don't have that many places to hide the bodies."

Sinbad shivered under the glare of Hakuei's brothers.

…

"I'm afraid I cannot let you in," Hakuei told the woman.

"Oh that is alright," Elizabeth replied. "I only came by to say hello. How about a basket of apples my dear? As a homecoming gift?"

…

"Hakuei don't eat food from strangers!" Aladdin warned her.

"She has a habit of that," Koumei mused. "When she was first introduced in the show she tried to take milk from the Kouga clan."

"Those people weren't trying to poison me though," Hakuei reminded him. "It was Ryosai, the one who warned me not to eat their food that was trying to kill me." Hakuei paused. "Perhaps that's another reason why I shouldn't be trusting Sinbad in this story."

"Hey!"

"They do say history is doomed to repeat itself," Alibaba shook his head.

…

Hakuei was skeptical of the old women but thought it would be rude of her to refuse. She took the basket gratefully from the old lady. "Won't you take a bite darling? I'd hate to find that they weren't to your liking."

"I suppose," Hakuei replied, thinking there couldn't be much harm in taking one bite. And so Hakuei took a bite from the apple. The poison sent her into a coma instantly and sent her sprawling to the floor. The queen laughed and revealed herself as the evil Queen Arba.

"It's done! Hakuei has fallen into a slumber from which she will never awaken! The kingdom is mine and I will forever be the fairest women in all the land!"

…

"Do you always explain your plan out loud when there is no one around?" Aladdin asked Arba.

"Of course, don't you?"

…

When Sinbad and the eight generals returned they were heartbroken to find Hakuei passed out on the floor. After determining there was no way to save her they decided to give her a proper burial. Grief-stricken and heartbroken, they couldn't bring themselves to cover her coffin. Even in death she was absolutely beautiful, so instead they made her a glass coffin where the sun could still reach her face.

Before they could leave her Sinbad insisted they remove the lid once more so he could say goodbye. Sinbad gave his love one last kiss of farewell.

…

"Ew, necrophilia," Judal stuck his tongue out.

"Really? That's where you draw the line?" Kougyoku asked.

"Hey, a guy's got to have some standards."

"I'm not actually dead!" Hakuei exclaimed. "Why are they burying me?"

 **Huh. You know, that doesn't make much sense. Oh well, can't change it now.**

"Yes you can," Aladdin replied. "You just need to go back to the previous part and,"

 **No interrupting, we're just getting to the good part!**

 **…**

But the kiss wasn't just any kiss. His kiss was strong enough to wake Hakuei up from her trance as good as new!

…

"I thought I was in a coma," Hakuei asked. "How would a kiss wake me up?

"Because it was TRUE LOVEEEE," Kougyoku sang.

"Or perhaps I'm just such a good kisser you couldn't help but wake up," Sinbad told her. "Want me to prove it?"

"I think I'll take the coma," Hakuei gave as her answer.

…

All the generals and the king stared at her in shock, unable to figure out what had just happened.

"It was the kiss," Pisti realized with a gasp. "The kiss saved her life!"

…

"Ugh. Stop with the gushy stuff," Kouha complained. "I'm going to be sick.

 **Oh, that could be fun!**

 **…**

"Only a kiss of true love could have saved her form such deadly poison!" Jafar explained.

"I should probably check again to make sure all the poison is gone," Sinbad decided, swooping Hakuei up into his arms and kissing her again.

…

"OH YUCK STOP HAVE MERCY ON ME!" Kouha begged, melting like a witch in the sun.

"Wow, Sinbad's a sneaky fox even in the fairy tale world," Alibaba laughed.

"Why can't I get you to swoon like that over me now?" Sinbad complained.

"In your dreams," Hakuei frowned at him.

"That's the problem. I want them out of my dreams and in reality."

…

All of them rejoiced for the miracle they had witnessed. Sinbad refused to let Hakuei stay in that cabin alone anymore and the two of them went back to Sindria together. Hakuei was declared the queen of Sindria and the two of them were married immediately, and the wedding was declared the happiest day in all the kingdom.

…

"He kidnapped her, I'm calling it!" Hakuryuu yelled.

"The story says it was the happiest day in the land," Sinbad reminded him. "How could she be so happy if she was kidnapped?"

"Hypnotism?" Pisti suggested.

"Don't give him ideas," Jafar warned.

"I don't feel too happy right now," Hakuei crossed her arms.

"That's because we haven't gotten to the honeymoon part yet," Sinbad told her.

Hakuei blinked. "What's a honeymoon?"

"The Kou Empire doesn't have those," Koumei said, explaining the confusion written on the faces of his family.

Sinbad blinked. Then he grinned darkly. "How about I show you?"

"SINBAD NO!"

…

Back in the kingdom of Kou, Sinbad allied himself with the relatives of the previous king to bring down queen Arba. They dethroned Arba and made Princess Kougyoku the empress instead.

…

"Oh yeah that's my girl!" Kouha laughed giving his sister a high five. "Take down that crazy queen!"

"Okay, I get why Kougyoku was made Empress in our time," Hakuryuu replied. "But shouldn't I have been made king after Arba? Or Kouen?"

 **You wanted to go exploring with your friends, Kouen didn't want to be king, Kouha didn't want to be tied down by stupid laws and Koumei was too lazy to take that much responsibility.**

"…I'll buy that."

…

As a wedding gift to Hakuei, Empress Kougyoku made the previous queen Arba dance on flaming hot coals until they died.

…

"I thought this was supposed to be the happiest day in all the kingdom!" Arba whined.

"Well come on lady, they can't please everyone!" Kouha told her. "That's just not realistic!"

"You know Hakuryuu, you really wasted some great potential to get revenge," Kougyoku told him. "If you'd just waited longer and asked for our help, Arba's death would have been much more satisfactory."

"I'll be sure to call you whenever I need ideas for torture," Hakuryuu cringed.

"I think you may have been spending a bit too much time with Judal lately sister," Kouen decided.

"What makes you say that?"

"Oh yeah burn baby burn!" Judal laughed. "Watch the queen get slayed!"

…

Empress Kougyoku ruled her land with the help of her brothers and brought it back to a place of peace and wealth for all the people. In Sindria Hakuei lived happily with her true love and the eight generals in the palace beloved by all the citizens and able to be the general she always wanted to be. And they all lived happily ever after!

…

"Err, yeah. Happily ever after. That's one way to put it," Judal grumbled.

"Considering where the manga's going lately, I'd rather take this ending any day," Alibaba replied.

"Why? What's happening in the manga?" Sinbad asked.

All of them stared at him in turn. "…Nothing."

"That's sounds ominous."

"Just don't ask," Jafar told him.

"So Hakuei," Sinbad began again, ignoring the previous conversation. "How about you come back to Sindria with me and we test the authenticity of this story? Find out if we really have true love?"

"How can you even say that? You are a king who flirts with every girl you meet,"

"But you're the best for me by far."

"AW!" Pisti and Kougyoku both cooed. Kouha wanted to barf.

"-You already said you never want to get married,"

"I never said never, just not yet," Sinbad corrected. Jafar shook his head at Alibaba who tried to argue.

"You and I are basically enemies,"

"Let's take the time to change that then!"

"-And if we are going by the story there is no way someone could possibly kiss someone to bring them back to life!"

Sinbad paused. He watched Hakuei cautiously, debating what his next answer would be. Hakuei waited out of curiosity to see what his answer would be. Then he took her by the shoulders and brought his lips to hers.

"Mmff!" Was Hakuei's weak protest, more out of shock than anything else.

"Now I don't think that could bring someone back to life," Sinbad said after what seemed to be the longest kiss in history. "But I'd say that was definitely proof that we should give the two of us a try."

"I….Um….I…" Hakuei stuttered. "O-okay."

Sinbad grinned. "Now it's a happily ever after."

"I'MMA KILL THAT GUY!" Both Kouha and Hakuryuu jumped to their feet. Sinbad had to sprint out of the room as the two of them chased him with swords held high.

Aladdin sighed. "Looks like it's time for me to fake an execution again."

 **This story was so cheesy I was cringing and laughing while writing it. I hope you all still liked it anyway!**


	10. Chapter 10 Halloween Special

**Halloween special**

 **Happy Halloween! Sorry this is late, I've had midterms recently. Enjoy the holiday special!**

 **To visitor: I read your Cantella story! I was so happy when I read it, finally another sinei! The ending made me kind of sad, but it makes sense. Thanks for telling me about it!**

 **So I got a review awhile ago from a Sinei story asking if I was going to do something with Kouen objecting to Sinbad and Hakuei because they are a ship. The answer is no, I will not. While I don't personally prefer the Kouen and Hakuei ship I don't want to go out of my way and bash it just because I don't ship it. We are all free to ship what we want! (: In most of my stories I operate under the line that he doesn't care for Hakuei in that way.**

 **Note: This story does mention potential murder, suicide, death, mentioned adult content (Maybe?) and some gruesome details. While I wouldn't exactly call this story a horror, it is supposed to be scarier than most of my stories. So for anyone who gets frightened easily, be warned.**

Do you ever wonder what goes bump in the night?

What makes your skin crawl?

Have you heard the snap and crackle that sends you running back to your home?

What sets you on edge?

What is it that just doesn't seem right?

What

Is

Out

There?

For the residents of the city of Kou, that was a question none of them dared to answer. Because they didn't know what it was, but they knew where it was. And they knew what happened when you went there.

The Haku-Kou family used to have six members. But only two were left.

The scared mansion hardly depicted the glorious home of the past. Charred pieces of wood had been permanently fixed black with ashes. The house which used to be three stories high only retained the floor, with the two higher floors scattered around the ground. The remaining siblings could remember what it was like living in the house. Where their beds were, where the library used to stand and the secret entrance to the garden at the back. It was supposed to be a house that would last forever.

Perhaps they shouldn't have built a house so close to the trees.

Hakuei Ren could still remember the first time she had laid eyes on the forest. Shortly after her youngest brother had been born the family had moved into the new house. Her father had thought that it would be good for their family to be closer to his brother's family, so they could find someone to help when needed. Hakuei remembered the cold shiver that had run down her back when she'd went out to the back yard. How she turned and froze at the sight of the forest. It wasn't the glooming trees that seemed to sway against her every move. Or the way the light never seemed to reach anywhere below the highest branches.

It was that she knew she was being watched.

Strange things happened to those who went to close to the forest. The family learned that in time.

"What's in there?" Hakuei had asked her mother who had come to make her unpack her things.

"I'm sure it's nothing sweetie," her mother had answered. "Just some wild animals." Gyouken seemed unaffected by the same fears that told the rest of the family to stay away from the trees. She seemed immune to the icy chill that would set over them when they got to close, or the feeling of dread when one of them turned their back towards the wood. She thought they were all being silly.

Only later did they realize that was meant she was already caught.

The police never found out how she had started the fire. The house couldn't find a lighter, a match, no gas or lamp that could have been the cause. When they checked the sprinkler system and smoke alarms they could find nothing wrong with them. Yet the fire that had trapped Hakuyuu, Hakuren and their father inside had been able to engulf them without any resistance. Hakuei and Hakuryuu came back from visiting their cousins to find their house in ashes, barely a corpse to bury their family. The police had nothing.

Nothing but a suspect.

Their mother didn't make it too hard on them, which Hakuei was sure the police were grateful for. Even when they had no evidence or cause, they found her the same night, sitting underneath a tree of the forest. Her grin was far too wide and her eyes extremely bright. Hakuei remembered her shouting as the police took her in. "I will stop Solomon! I will save our father! I am Arba the witch!" The policemen said she had lost her mind. All the doctors concluded that it must have been from the guilt of killing her eldest children and husband. That her mind had snapped under the pressure.

But in secret, everyone had their own suspicions.

Especially when they had found her dead in her cell with the word 'witch' burned into her forehead.

"Maybe the forest is haunted," their cousin Kouha had wondered one day after Hakuei and Hakuryuu, the only survivors, had moved in. He glanced over the textbook he was supposed to be studying from and gave his new siblings a wicked grin. "Maybe someone died in the forest and never got justice. Now it wants revenge on the people of the town who wouldn't help it when it was alive." A small Kougyoku shivered, curling into the arm of her eldest brother who sat on the couch next to her.

"Ghost's don't' exist," Hakuryuu retorted stubbornly. "Don't be silly." But Hakuei remembered back to the first day when she saw the forest. She had been watched. Something had seen her from the forest. Was it a ghost?

The family hardly spoke of what had happened. A few years later Hakuei discovered that her brother Kouen had been looking into the incident to find out what had caused the incident. "I doubt it has anything to do with the forest," Kouen admitted, doubting anything supernatural unless proven through his books. "It's possible there is a toxin in the forest that caused your mother to hallucinate."

"But then what started the fire?" Koumei asked. Kouen didn't have an answer.

Slowly the memories of the fire started to fade. The house that the two siblings moved into was far away from the forest and they made a point never to cross paths with it again. The forest became just another nightmare, a small part of their memories that they knew about but was hardly thought of. The only times the memories would resurface was when others would go near the forest. They heard stories of groups of teenagers daring that brave or foolish couple to go fool around together in the forest, and they would come back with their lips sealed shut. How a man once walked in to try and get some wood but came out instead covered in strange markings. And those were when the people would come out. They all grew up in the area, they all had grown up with the same, simple rule.

Don't go in the forest.

Something happened in there. Something lived in there. Something was wrong with it. No one was sure which, but whatever it was, it was bad. It was wrong. There was something deeply unsettling that their human instinct told them to stay away from. All the children had asked the same questions.

"What's in the forest?"

"Why can't we go in?"

The parents didn't answer. They didn't have to. Even a child could tell there was something dangerous about the seemingly innocent trees that no one dared to cut. Anyone who went near it were trained both instinctively and socially to never go inside. So they didn't. No one went into the forest.

Except for the time someone had no choice.

That had never happened before.

Hakuei wasn't sure what led her back to the house that had been the king of her nightmares for so long. Was it because it was the anniversary of the day they had first moved in? No, that day passed every year without a second thought. Was it because the city finally decided it was time to put a gate around the forest to keep stragglers out? That couldn't be it. But nevertheless, Hakuei stepped around the area that their garden used to be. Only weeds and long grass remained where orchids and roses used to be. She risked a glance towards the forest, daring to take it all in for the first time. The truth was the forest was beautiful. The trees were tall, strong, and the grass always seemed a touch greener than anything she had laid eyes on. It was easy to see why someone could be tempted to just take a peek inside.

The forest seemed fine.

So what was wrong with it?

"Excuse me?"

Hakuei nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden disturbance. To her right she found a stranger, walking over to her with disarming smile. The man had long purple hair tied back with a string that went down to his waist. Despite the cold he wore a pair of black dress pants and a white button-up top underneath a black jacket, along with a purple tie to match. Hakuei couldn't imagine why someone would wear such a fancy looking suit so casually. The tie was loose and a few buttons of the shirt were undone. Perhaps he was coming back from a wedding? Or some other formal engagement? Either way, his tanned skin and the curve of his eyes didn't match the people of Kou. Perhaps he was foreign? There was something odd about those eyes. They were gold, the same colour as the money in her purse. But there was something…Something off. Something wrong. Something she couldn't name.

 _How did he get so close without me noticing him?_ Hakuei wondered. The man held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you! I just wanted to know what such a beautiful women was doing out here all alone?"

Her guard went up when she heard the obvious flattery. People don't give compliments to strangers so quickly unless they wanted something. "I was simply taking a walk. Is there anything I can help you with?" The man rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I'll admit I am lost. I was looking for a little girl…oh well. I suppose she ran off. Her mother probably brought her home." He took a second to turn and examine their surroundings. "What an odd place to be going for a walk. Why not in the forest? It must have nicer views than," he waved towards the black pieces of tinder. "…This."

 _He must be a foreigner if he's considering going into the forest._ Hakuei mused. "I would rather not go into the forest right now. I actually came to see the house…Or what's left of it," She admitted as an afterthought. The man raised an eyebrow at the wreckage.

"What happened here?"

"Fire," Hakuei replied. "What else?"

"It must have been an awful fire," he mused. Then, as an afterthought, he gave her another smile. "Sorry, where are my manners. My name is Sinbad, pleasure to meet you." He stretched out a hand towards her, waiting for her to take it. She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to discover more than the surface gave her about the stranger. She had learned to be cautious of those who did not fear the forest. Either they were brave enough not to care or foolish enough not to believe in the danger. Usually it was both. And either way always led to disaster.

But there was something in his eyes that refused to let her turn away. The golden light kept her trapped where she was, close to the stranger. What was it about those eyes that was different compared to others?

The way they reflected the light?

The gold colour Hakuei was not used to?

No.

No, that wasn't it.

There was something strange

She was taking his hand before she knew what she was doing. "It's nice to meet you," her automatic response came but without letting her choose her words. The man smiled, appearing oblivious to her inner turmoil.

"So tell me," Sinbad began, tilting his head towards the wreckage once again. "What would it take for me to get you to tell me the story of this old house?" It took Hakuei a moment to shake her thoughts clean and focus on what he had said. When she figured it out she hurried to shake her head no.

"Oh-It's a long story. Really not that interesting. Everyone around here knows it."

"All the more reason I should learn it," Sinbad decided. "How about dinner? Does that sound like a fair trade?" he covered his eyes as he looked towards the setting sun. "It's around dinner time now, right? You must be hungry." She was. Hakuei hadn't realized just how hungry she actually was until he mentioned it. Her stomach growled in protest when she considered saying no. Hakuei still hesitated. The way he was asking her made it sound like a date, and she was extremely uncomfortable with dating strangers. Actually, she was uncomfortable with doing anything with strangers.

"I really don't think…"

"You can pick the restaurant," Sinbad added. "I don't know anything around here anyway. And I'd love to have someone I know in this town instead of lots of strangers." The part that told her no was still holding most of the cards. But the sly voice in her head told her to relax. _He said you can pick where you're going,_ it told her. _And he's just trying to get to know someone. It doesn't have to be a date._ But it was hard to see it as anything but. If they had been old friends going to dinner that would have been different, but they were strangers.

As a last futile defense she tried, "I…you seem very nice, and I'm flattered, but…"

"Oh, no," Sinbad waved in front of his face. "It doesn't have to be a date if you don't want to. I really just want to learn a bit more about this town and the people in it. It's a wonder to me how I've lived so close to here and hardly know anything about it. The only people I know are the ones who come visit me. I'd like to say I know at least someone here." The smile he gave her would have made a stubborn mountain move. And she was already swayed by his thoughts.

"Well…I suppose dinner couldn't hurt…There's a nice diner down the street from here. They have some delicious fish and pasta." Hakuei purposefully chose the one that was close to her home. Couldn't hurt to be careful.

"Great!" He offered his arm out to Hakuei with that same smile. "Lead the way Hakuei!" She decided to smile as she took his arm, gently leading him in the right direction. He seemed nice enough. And it was just getting dinner in a public place. What could go wrong?

 _Huh,_ Hakuei mused. _Did I tell this man my name?_

They were seated at the restaurant quicker than Hakuei would have thought possible. The diner was one of the most popular places in the city and it was near impossible to get a table without waiting at least 15 minutes. Perhaps it was the smile Sinbad flashed at the waiter. He nearly melted under his gaze, and Hakuei didn't blame him. Somehow they got a nice private table by one of the windows. Their waitress seemed to find an excuse to come and see if everything was alright every ten minutes or so. A few times Hakuei caught her sending wistful glances at Sinbad and jealous glances at her. "If you were looking for a date this evening, I'm sure that waitress would be happy to take my spot." Sinbad cast a lazy eye over to the waitress as she made an effort to fix her posture.

"Some other time perhaps," Sinbad replied, though his tone said he wasn't making any plans. "I'm enjoying myself now more than I have in a long time." He took a bite out of the fish that their waitress had brought them while Hakuei scooped up a piece of her penne pasta. "You were right about this restaurant by the way. This is really good!"

"I'm surprised you've never heard of it," Hakuei admitted. She had to hide her giggles at Sinbad's goofy smile. He reminded her of a little kid opening Christmas presents. "This place is famous in the city."

"I don't doubt that," Sinbad nodded as he slipped in another bite. "It's delicious!"

Hakuei laughed, slowly starting to relax. "What are you doing in Kou anyway? You said you live close to here?"

Sinbad nodded again as he finished his bite. "I'm just here for a visit," he admitted. "See the city. Look for someone."

"Who are you looking for?" Hakuei asked in curiosity. She remembered him saying he had been looking for a little girl whose mother had likely found her.

With the hand that held his fork he waved the question away. "No one anymore," he declared. "I found you didn't I?" there was a small smile that forced its way through at his words. Sinbad pulled his seat forward and leaned forward. "Speaking of which, I believe you promised me a story."

At first her mind was blank to his meaning, then she remembered their earlier conversation. "Oh, the house! I…" She didn't like talking about the story. Everyone in the city knew what had happened, and few liked to bring it up. The only time she'd had to discuss it was with the police all those years ago. Again and again she had to tell them all she remembered, relived the screaming of her mother and the sight of the fire. The flames that never deceased. Her mother on the floor with a necklace of her own blood. "It's…not that interesting."

"Let me be the judge of that," Sinbad replied. Either he was ignorant to her discomfort or blatantly ignoring it. "Please?" His gold eyes seemed to capture her once again. They looked so…She didn't know. It was as if they glowed. They were absolutely captivating…but in a bad way. Like the sugar-coating to the poison. A temptation to the flame.

A temptation that was hard to resist. Hakuei sighed, bracing herself for the story that was to come. "Well…There was a family that moved in there. Three boys, a girl and their parents. One day their mother started a fire and killed her husband and the two eldest boys. Later she was arrested and her youngest children moved in with their cousins. Later the women was found dead in her cell." Hakuei purposefully tried to make the story as boring and distant as she could, hoping he wouldn't ask too many questions or tire of it in general.

"Sounds like a regular ghost story," Sinbad observed, declaring Hakuei's plan unsuccessful. "Do people believe the house was haunted? That's why the mother snapped?" Hakuei's mind immediately went to her cousin Kouha stating that the forest was haunted.

She poked at her pasta which was slowly starting to look less appetizing. "No, I don't think it was haunted. At least no one believes the house was," she added as an afterthought.

"So what's the explanation," Sinbad asked as he finished his meal. "If the house was fine, then what?" Hakuei hesitated. It seemed silly saying it out loud. Blaming the death of more than half of her family on a forest? A cluster of trees that just happened to look more foreboding then another group? The people of the town had seen what it could do, so in their minds there was no doubt. But to try and explain that to a stranger made her sound like she was a superstitious person who believed in ghosts and zombies and wore tinfoil hats to avoid alien encounters.

But she decided not to lie. She couldn't if she tried. "Some people like to blame the forest," She answered reluctantly. Sinbad tilted his head to the side.

"The forest," he repeated, lacking the usual surprise she expected.

"I-It sounds strange," Hakuei admitted. "But weird things often happen to people who go near the forest." Realizing her addition just made her story sound even crazier she added, "A-A few people say there are toxins, or some kind of poisonous plant in the forest that effects the human brain."

Sinbad almost coughed out his drink. "Toxins?"

"It's a theory," Hakuei stated. She decided not to mention the lovers that had come out with their mouths sealed shut or the man who came out with strange markings. "But whoever goes in there always ends up…getting hurt."

"I see," Sinbad replied, sounding far too interested in the topic for Hakuei's liking. "If it's so dangerous in there, why doesn't the government send people in to chop it down? Find whatever it is that causes these injuries and get rid of it." The thought almost gave Hakuei a heart attack. A few years back the city council had tried that and sent in a team of construction men to try and cut down the wood. Of the ones that came back they were each missing a different limb, their memories of the past few hours and had a large, frightening smile that would stay there until they died. Hakuei herself had met one woman who had lost her right hand in the forest. Another had lost his nose. A third man that Kouha told her about had lost all the skin on the lower half of his body. Hakuei wasn't sure if he was teasing her or not. The only thing they were sure of was that after that the city had decided never to try something like that again.

It almost felt like the forest was taunting them.

"They try not to send people in the forest anymore," Hakuei replied. "It's dangerous.

"Oh, I agree with that," Sinbad chuckled as he took a sip of his drink. She couldn't tell if he was teasing her or not. "But why don't people go in?"

Hakuei thought she had just answered that question. "Be…because it is dangerous! If people go in they would get hurt! The city doesn't want to send people in when they don't know what would happen to them."

Instead of agreeing with her, Sinbad just observed her words with interest. "Hmm…" Sinbad finished the last of his drink as he considered her. "That is a problem." Hakuei didn't understand what there was to debate. It didn't matter the number or the power, people should never go into the forest! And yet Sinbad seemed obsessed with the idea of sending more people inside. Had she not explained herself enough? It must have been because he wasn't from there. Even the children of the city knew the rules. Even the drunkest fool would never break it.

Why did Sinbad not seem afraid in the slightest?

At the end of the meal Hakuei tried to pay for her own meal but Sinbad insisted. "I brought you hear to tell me a ghost story. I invited you, it's only fair." Part of her wanted to argue, but the other part told her, _hey, its free food._ And she couldn't complain. Like him, she had to admit that the evening, other than the blast back to the past, had been one of the most enjoyable she'd had in a while. Definitely more fun than her original plan to just hang around her nightmare scene for a while.

As Sinbad paid the bill Hakuei noticed the waitress had added her phone number. "For a man who claims he doesn't live here you certainly are quite popular." Sinbad smirked as he took out a few bills. Hakuei raised an eyebrow when he not only left the phone number but left a very substantial tip. "You might be sending mixed messages if you leave the number but give her a big tip."

"I'd like to call it an apology for not taking it," Sinbad replied. "I don't have a phone."

Hakuei blinked, caught off-guard. "Why don't you have a phone?"

Sinbad shrugged. "Never needed one."

Hakuei wondered what kind of adult living in the twenty first century could possibly survive without a phone. He looked like he was a working man, judging from the kinds of clothes he wore. He seemed like the responsible type, if not a little laid back compared to most. Or maybe she just worked too much. As they left the restaurant Sinbad asked if she had far to go. She admitted it was a little far, so Sinbad decided to go with her. "I'll walk you back," Sinbad offered. "Your place is on the way to mine anyway." She wasn't sure how he could possibly know that, considering she hadn't told him where she lived. But she found she just couldn't argue with him. She wasn't sure what it was about him that drew her closer but he just seemed so…right.

Something was wrong.

But being around him felt right.

He was bad.

Yet good.

There was something she was missing. Hakuei knew even through her decision that there was a piece of the whole puzzle she was missing, a rule to a game she had not chosen to play that no one had bothered to tell her about. Why did she let him lead her home, saying he knew a short cut to a place he'd never been to? There was something wrong, but she went along with it. Why? How come she spoke to the man like it was natural, as if she could tell him anything? Why did it seem like he knew it all already? He was normal. He was kind. But…

But….

"What about you then?" Sinbad asked as they finished a conversation about her latest case in her law firm. "Have you ever wanted to go into the forest?"

"Me? Never!" Was the automatic response. When he tilted his head to the side in doubt however Hakuei felt obliged to give an honest response. "I mean…I know it's dangerous. I've seen what happened to people who go in there, and I know to never actually follow but…something about it is interesting. Tempting I guess. I hear about it all the time and yet no one truly knows what it is like in there. Sometimes I just get…curious." She paused, Sinbad remained silent as he waited for her to continue. Eventually she shook her head. "But I still know that I should never go in. I suppose people are just drawn to what is bad for them."

"People are drawn to what is bad for them…" Sinbad mused under his breath. A small smile played at her words, as if she had said something that pleased him greatly. "That is an interesting point. But have you ever heard of the story being told the other way around?"

Hakuei glanced up at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Sinbad answered her. "What happens when the darkness is the thing that is drawn to the light?"

Hakuei stopped. She stopped because she had never thought about that before. She stopped because she wasn't entirely sure what they were talking about anymore. She stopped because she didn't understand how a forest could be drawn towards something, no matter how unusual it could be. She stopped because she realized something. She realized just where they were.

"What are we doing here?"

Sinbad tilted his head to the side. "You said you wanted to go home."

"But…but this isn't…"

How did she not notice? How could she have not seen where he had taken her until they were already there?

The charred remains of the house were exactly as they had left it. Piles of wood and bricks that had used to be walls and furniture piled together, rotting where they would stay for their entire existence as no one would dare let make them move. Weeds and sticks that had replaced the once blooming flowers overshadowed any reminder of the joyful life that had once been there. Plains of grass that Hakuei and her brother used to run around in for hours were frozen to the ground, never moved, never disturbed.

The trees of the forest loomed over her with a smile of triumph.

"Why didn't you tell me you were the daughter who got away?" Sinbad asked. He didn't sound offended, simply curious to her answer. Hakuei couldn't answer, to many questions forming in her mind. The golden eyes that had seemed so charming an innocent before started to look like temptation itself.

"How do you know I used to live here," Hakuei countered. "I never told you!"

"You didn't have to my dear," Sinbad explained as if it should be obvious. "I already knew." Hakuei could just stare at him. Any words that would have made sense in that situation were lost on her. From his reaction he hadn't expected a response. Instead he turned towards the forest once again, eyes roaming over it like a hungry wolf. "The forest looks quite lovely tonight," he changed the subject abruptly. When he turned to her the gleam in his eyes definitely was more frightening than welcoming. "Would you like to go inside?"

Hakuei had never heard anyone suggest anything so absurd. "I…I can't go there." Sinbad tilted his head to the side, the glow of his eyes enhanced by the moonlight.

"Why not my love?" Sinbad purred. His voice was velvety soft, temptation in soundwaves.

While her instinct told her something was off, her mind decided that he must be alright. He had the voice of someone who could be trusted, someone who knew what he was doing. "It…that's the forest. It's not safe in there. People get hurt," she told him, hardly paying any attention to the words that came out of her own mouth. "Be…besides, there is the gate!" She waved towards the new gates, thankful for the first time the city had decided to build them. "They keep the forest locked up. There is no way in." Sinbad chuckled, low under his breath. It sent shivers up her spine.

"The forest is locked up? Darling…" Sinbad let go of her briefly so he could walk up to the fence. Hakuei tried to protest, but the words were caught in her through when Sinbad turned back to her. His strange eyes were glowing. "This is a forest that cannot be caged."

With one swing he grabbed the metal bars and ripped it out of the earth. Hakuei held back a scream as Sinbad effortlessly threw the broken pieces of the gate aside. Next he made quick work of the rest, stomping down on the edges as if they were paper, tearing apart the lost ends as if he was tearing a pillow. As easily as one would destroy a Childs tower of blocks Sinbad annihilated the only piece of protection the city had against the forest. And he'd done it all with a smile on his face.

"That is much nicer," Sinbad huffed when he was done. He turned back to a shivering Hakuei, a wicked grin plain on his face. "Now would you like to come go inside? There is nothing stopping you anymore." Nothing? Nothing but the crippling fear that began to take over her whole body. It was a miracle her legs had the strength in them to stand because the rest of her body felt like jelly. It felt like a dream. No, definitely not a dream. A nightmare.

"Who…what are you?"

Sinbad drew back. Even with all that was happening, that question caught him of guard. "What am I?" He tilted his head back, trying to find the answer in the deep corners of his brain. "I truly don't know the answer to that. I used to know…A long time ago…but as they say, everything is lost in time. What am I…now that really is a puzzle isn't it? I'm something…different. I'm not like you. I'm fallen. I'm strange. I'm a terrifying mystery." His gold eyes fixed themselves on her blue ones. The fire in his eyes held no light, but all the potential to burn. "Would you like to solve that mystery? I am the darkness that calls to you."

Sinbad took a step closer to the forest. Instinctively she wanted to warn him, to tell him to get away as far as he could go. But then her instincts told her a different story. _No, it's alright. He's not doing anything wrong. See hos perfectly he fits there among the trees? He's not out of place. That's exactly where he should be._

"You…you said you lived close to...my house." She thought he had meant the house she actually lived in. She'd assumed he lived in another house in the town over, or would head over to a bus that would drive him where he needed to be. She'd assumed he lived further than he actually did.

Sinbad's grin was like poison. "That I did."

"Where…do you live?"

"Do you really need me to answer that?"

The wind that blew through the trees sounded suspiciously like laughter. Hakuei didn't even notice as her legs crumpled underneath her, nor the grass that brushed up against her jeans. The forest was darker than before, more powerful than she had ever seen. And it was closer. Much closer. It beckoned to her like a magician ready to show her next trick. It had to be a trick. It couldn't be real.

But the gold of Sinbad's eyes confirmed what she feared. He was exactly what she was afraid of.

A hand slipped around Hakuei's waist as Sinbad forced her to her feet. Her eyes widened as he pulled her closer to the entrance. "Come on Hakuei, let's go home."

As her situation truly dawned on her she tried to resist. "G-go…I'm not going with you anywhere!" Regaining feeling in her arms she tried to push away from him and run back to safety. His arm remained permanently fixed around her waist. "Let go of me!"

"Hakuei!" Sinbad laughter brought no humor nor relief into the situation. "My dear, you should pay more attention. If I recall, I wasn't asking. I am bringing you home."

"That forest is not my home!" She cried in panic, her efforts to get away not even making him flinch. What was he?

"No. But it will be. Once I claim you as mine you will have nowhere else to go. You cannot hide from me anymore."

Hide? Run? "I was never hiding!" Hakuei gasped, but even as she said it she knew they were lies. Wasn't she always hiding? Wasn't there a reason she hated talking about the forest, why she avoided going to close to the trees? Didn't she know something was wrong after her mother ended her life and the lives of her brothers? From the first day when she felt something watching her from between the trees, couldn't she tell that there was something watching her? Didn't she know she had to get away from it? From him? Desperately she tried to dig her feet into the ground has he brought her closer. "My brother and I got free from this place! We don't want to go anywhere near it!"

"Your brother?" Sinbad stopped, the hand around her keeping Hakuei from falling over. The look he gave her was of genuine surprise mixed with some curiosity. "Your brother was already caught in our trap. Didn't you know?" That made Hakuei freeze.

"…What? Hakuryuu?"

Sinbad nodded slowly. "Yes Hakuryuu. Who do you think brought the knife to your mother's throat?"

It felt as if everything Hakuei had once known was being torn to shreds. Her brother had done that? He had burned the words witch into her forehead? She knew that their mother had never been a good person but…for her own brother to have killed her? When he was so young? She had always thought it strange after her death how Hakuryuu had almost seemed reassured compared to her growing fear. As if he knew for certain that nothing would come after them again. "My…my brother…no, he wouldn't have done such a thing!" Hakuei fought back, helpless against the wave of fear that hit her like a truck. "You liar!"

"When have I lied to you?" Sinbad asked honestly, paying no mind to Hakuei as she hit his chest. "Everything I have told you is true, you just have to face it." He grew annoyed at her response. With both hands he grabbed her wrists, leaving her powerless. "There's no reason to worry about him anymore," Sinbad assured her. "Once caught is enough as far as the forest is concerned. He was released from its grasp long ago. Your brother can go on the rest of his boring, human life just like anyone of you would. Well…depending on how long he decides he can live with the guilt that is. He certainly didn't show any remorse when he was done." He was right. Hakuryuu hadn't shown any signs that he had just murdered someone. The police had never found out.

No one had any idea.

"It can't be true," Hakuei tried to force herself to believe, but any resistance was starting to die away. "It can't be true…"

"Now see, here's the thing," Sinbad continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Your mother was caught. It turned her into a witch. Your brother was caught and became an assassin. Your brothers and father became victims that were caught in the flames. But then there is you. What about you?"

"W-what about me?" Hakuei stuttered, desperation slowly creeping in. "What a-about you? Who are you? Why are you doing this? How do you k-know me?"

"How do I know you? Well that should be obvious by now." Sinbad shook his head. With his hands still around her wrists he yanked her to him, making her stumble as he held her hands out behind him. "But while our tricks worked easily on the rest of your family, the forest didn't catch you. You should have been caught by now, I should already have seen the end of our plans. But I haven't. Nothing happened to you. Can you tell me why that is?"

She shook her head, simultaneously trying to unravel the information and resist letting it in. "Our? You and the forest? I don't understand?"

"Well that's the most frightening part isn't it?" Sinbad told her. "You don't understand. And it's possible you never will understand." Sinbad's hair slipped in front of his face as he tilted his head to look at her from a different angle. "You've grown into such a beautiful women…You were just a little girl when I first saw you. I wasn't much older actually. Well…not compared to other humans of course. But for me…I'm a special case. Don't worry," he assured her, running a hand through her hair. "I'll make sure to explain all of this to you in time."

But Hakuei yanked her head away from him and stumbled away. Even the few steps that distanced them was like a breath of fresh air. "Stop! I don't want to know any of this! What do you want from me? Why are you doing this?"

Sinbad took an easy step forwards with every step she took back. He tried to close the distance while she tried to make it grow. "What I want from you is more…complicated than what the forest wanted with your family. The forest was interested in your family from the beginning. It always enjoys tricking the newcomers who ignored the citizens advice, who just so happen to choose a spot so close. I watched as you came to the house. I saw you in the garden, and for your few years of ignorant bliss afterwards. It was humorous to watch you all live on so happily, innocent to what was coming." She couldn't decide between her fear and the anger she felt. If he had seen it all, why hadn't he done something?

"But I realized something," Sinbad continued, not noticing her rage. "After you left. When my curiosity grew in the one girl that escaped the forest I looked back on my memories of you. The others pointed out to me how often I had left our little games to come and watch you. They mentioned how many more victims I took when you had left. I hadn't even realized how much of my time you had taken up. According to them I grew irritable the longer it took to see you. Apparently I was much crueler to lovers who came through my forest. Did you hear about the two who I sealed their lips shut. They were awful kissers anyway. I could hear that boy panting from a mile away and the girl had her eyes wide open." Sinbad shivered at the memory, visibly disgusted. "I still believe I did the world a favour."

Hakuei remembered hearing about how they couldn't eat or speak for days. Eventually they had both been so distraught they hung themselves.

"I never really figured out when it had happened," Sinbad continued on with the previous conversation. "When I started feeling something…different about you. It only got worse as you got older. The way you acted, the things you said, what you did…I was only sure what it was after that pathetic man Ryosai came around. Do you remember him?" A guttural growl emerged from Sinbad's throat. "I hated him. Who was he to think he could sabotage your case by manipulating the prosecutor? I made sure that man did not make it out of my forest alive." He waved towards the trees. "His corpse might still be in there."

The cold trickle of fear that went up her spine kept Hakuei frozen in place. It allowed Sinbad the chance to move closer to her, close the distance. With one hand he traced his fingers up her leg while the other went around to trace her spine on her back. "I finally figured out what it was that had been nagging me so long about you. What it was about you that had my thoughts coming back to you every day." Sinbad closed his eyes. Hakuei didn't even notice she was trembling until Sinbad leaned forward, placing his forehead on hers. For a moment they stayed there, and it was as if the world had stopped turning. It was just the two of them, frozen, waiting in agonizing pain for something to change.

"I wanted you."

Sinbad's eyes snapped open. In an instant he had grabbed her by the waist and yanked her into him. Hakuei gasped when he turned her against a tree and slammed her against it. His hands trapped her in place with one on either side of her head against the tree. One of his legs was pushed in between hers so he could get as close as he desired. There was no air between them, just the tree, her and him. His eyes were glowing with a different kind of fire that she knew he would do anything to satisfy. "Even after you left I saw you. When you walked past on the street, I wanted you. When you made new friends and tried to move on, I wanted you. After you turned 18 and went to university for law I wanted you. In time when you came back to join the law firm in town I wanted you. I wanted you, I needed you, I desired you in every possible way. I want you by my side every minute, I want you as the reminder of the humanity I lost long ago, I want you to be strong when I am not, I want you writhing underneath me absolutely helpless…"

Sinbad stopped.

He blinked.

He had realized something.

Hakuei could feel her breath coming out in short gasps as Sinbad tilted his head to the side, mulling over what had come to him. Then, a smile that meant nothing but trouble traced his lips.

"Ah…I see what you are now."

"What…What I am?" _Other than absolutely petrified,_ Hakuei thought to herself. She couldn't move. She couldn't fight back if she wanted to, and she knew it was no use. After what he had done to the fence she doubted any amount of fighting would do anything but tire her out.

Sinbad's eyes returned to hers again, preparing to give her the worst news of the evening. "You were never left alone. The forest never left you go. The forest did catch you. It just didn't do what I expected it to. I wonder why…" A slow, malicious grin slithered onto Sinbad's face. "Perhaps it was as a gift to me? That was so sweet."

"What do you mean," Hakuei managed to get out without stuttering over her words. "What was sweet? What did the forest do to me? What am I?" The gold in his eyes sparkled as he watched the panic set into her skin. Those golden eyes took the time to examine every piece of her, take in everything about her.

His grin was nothing but poison.

Before she knew what was happening Sinbad had wrapped one arm around her waist, the other on her back to keep her steady. He forced her feet to move further into the forest, the deathly wood welcoming them in with open arms. "I know what you are," Sinbad was almost laughing, with excitement or relief Hakuei couldn't tell. "You tried to get away, but you kept coming back! You visited the forest so often and do you know why? Do you even know why you came back today? Tonight you came back and it was all thanks to the forest!" Sinbad threw his head back in laughter that echoed through the trees. "I finally know what you are! And it's just what I wanted!"

"What do you mean?" Hakuei screamed, kicking and fighting to get free to no avail. He had her right where he wanted her. There was nothing she could do as he closed the distance between them and the forest. Hakuei wanted to scream as the forest swallowed them whole.

No one in their right mind would ever go to the forest.

But no one had considered something from the forest would bring someone inside.

"You are mine."


	11. Chapter 11 Because It's Christmas

Because it's Christmas

 **If you've ever been my friend during the Christmas season then you should know I LOVE CHRISTMAS. Favourite time of the year! I didn't even know what to write when I started this but there was no way I was going to miss writing a Christmas story, even with my exams! So enjoy, and happy holidays!**

Hakuei had to admit. With her tough attitude, maturity from a young age, leadership abilities and overall tough and strong personality…

She was a sucker for the holiday spirit.

Then again, being one of Santa's helpers usually did that to a person. Santa ALWAYS selected Hakuei as one of his main assistants over the season. She was very efficient when it came to organizing schedules and keeping all the workers in check.

There was also the fact that she was one of the only ones who could keep a few specific members of Kou in line.

"It's time to lick candy canes until they become swords of sugary doom!" Judal laughed, waving around the pointed end of his candy cane. "The world will fall before my minty weapons of death!"

"We will never be defeated by your pathetic attempt at a candy weapon!" Kouha jeered, holding what looked like was a tub of hot chocolate. "I will melt you into a puddle of chocolaty firth and top your grave with whipped cream!"

"Tis' not the time for fighting each other!" Kougyoku jumped dramatically in between the two teens on the verge of battle. "We must unite to face our common enemy- the dreaded fruitcake!" The three all gasped at the poor fruitcake that was placed innocently on the table.

"Then we can reunite in a giant house made of gingerbread and steal all of their gumdrop buttons!" Kouha suggested. The three all jumped in the air and cheered before falling on the ground and laughing their heads off.

"I think you're all going to get cavities," Hakuryuu deadpanned, watching the three howl with laughter on the floor. With a sigh he closed the book he had been reading and got to his feet. "You know, when someone makes a fire in the fireplace, brings a book and some hot chocolate and wraps themselves in blankets and specifically tells everyone to leave him alone, usually that means he wants to be left ALONE." When none of the three responded Hakuryuu added, "In silence!"

"Aw come on Scrooge," Judal teased, wrapping one arm around his friend's shoulders while he tried to avoid the sticky candy in his hand. "It's Christmas eve! Are you really going to spend all that time in solitude with some book instead of playing with your family?"

Hakuryuu shrugged his arm off of him before standing from the chair. "Christmas is a time where everything should be peaceful and magical. For me, peaceful means getting to read. In peace!"

"But it's snowing outside!" Kougyoku exclaimed while Kouha slipped a Santa's hat on the unwilling Hakuryuu who scowled in protest. "It's the perfect day to play!"

 _Or get sugar rushes,_ Hakuryuu decided watching his laughing family jump around what was supposed to be the living room of the cottage he was staying in but had somehow become a battleground for sugary sweets. Pulling off the hat he said allowed, "Aren't you three supposed to be helping Hakuei and the others in the workshop?" Even though Kouha liked to say it was true as an excuse for his height, her family were not specifically Christmas elves. Of course, elves DID exist. Both the pointy eared, shoot arrows with a bow kind and the make toys all year round. Her family were tree elves, most of the year reigning in their kingdom in the forest. But around the month of November the court of Kou packed their things and either headed to warmer area or went up north to stay with Santa. It was a tradition going back generations for them. Every near when winter came around members of the royal family would hurry up to Santa's home and prepare for the wonderful day known as Christmas. Later, when the snow melted they would go back home.

Besides, they couldn't well stay in the forest when all the leaves were gone.

Last he had seen Hakuei had been helping Santa manage his naughty and nice list while Koumei had been making sure all the children of the world were on the list. Kouen was likely in his yearly debate about whether adults should be given little dashes of magic or should get their stockings full like the children did with Mrs. Claus. Honestly, it seemed to be an endless debate.

Judal rolled his eyes as he jumped on the couch. "Nah. It's too cold out there to bring Rudolph and the others out. Vixen nearly trampled me when I suggested it." Kouha had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. He had been supposed to help with that, but he's almost laughed his head off when he'd gotten there to find Judal trying to bribe Rudolph with a carrot.

"And I'm not allowed back in the toy shop until after they are done making the gifts for our family," Kougyoku pouted. "So let's all go make a snowman!" Hakuryuu groaned as the other two jumped for joy at the idea. Judal started making plans for a snow army while Kouha wondered who they should pelt with snowballs first. _Can't I get a break for at least one day?_ Hakuryuu wondered. Sure he loved Christmas and spending time with his family. Just, you know. Not ALL the time.

Luckily the world was saved from the invasion of Judal's snowmen by a knock on the door. "That must be the three ghosts of Christmas!" Kouha exclaimed while the other two fell over laughing. Hakuryuu shook his head while Kouha jumped over to the door and swiftly pulled it open. After a pause he called back, "false alarm guys. It's just an angel wearing an ugly Christmas sweater!"

Hakuei laughed as Kouha moved so she could get inside. "M-my sweater is absolutely perfect for the Christmas season. And I wasn't going to c-comment on yours but…" The others laughed while Hakuei pulled her boots off. She had been completely bundled with a scarf, mittens, boots, big jacket and ear muffs. Once she'd finally removed the remaining layers she rubbed her arms in relief. "I-I-It's absolutely freezing out there! I haven't seen this much s-s-snow in years!"

Hakuryuu rushed to get Hakuei some hot chocolate while she rested on the couch. Kougyoku glanced out the window as Hakuei wrapped herself up with a blanket. "Yeesh! It's a disaster out there!" Kouha and Judal pushed around her to get a look at the snowfall they had failed to notice in their little drama.

Judal stared as if it was the first time he'd ever seen snow before. "Yikes."

It seemed as if the air itself had turned into a mixture of ice and snow. Everything was absolutely white, even the light from the workshop across the road was dimmed from the snow. The houses around the village square were covered in frost and some even had barred up their windows for safety. It wasn't a winter wonderland, it was pure, unadulterated snow on a rampage. Even the tracks Hakuei had left had already been filled up with snow. As if someone had decided to take all the snow from everywhere in the world and just drop it on top of the North Pole. "Man," Judal whistled as he rubbed the back of his head in distain. "I haven't seen this much snow since ol' frosty got sick and couldn't control the weather." After some contemplation he glanced at a now melting Hakuei. "Hey, you don't think someone got frosty drunk on Christmas Eve, right?" To the side, Hakuei scrunched up her nose and let out a huff of breath.

Before anyone could reply, Kougyoku yanked at Judal's braid, making him let out a yelp. "Judal, that's rude! If I had his powers, I would freeze you for calling me that!" The foolish boy just laughed as if the threat was nothing more than a fly on the wall.

"Oh yeah, sure! When was the last time that guy came down to the north pole at Christmas?" Kougyoku didn't answer. "Right! He's got way too much to do, no way he's coming up here any,"

Just as he finished there was a loud hammering on the door.

"EEK!" Judal jumped in surprise and hit the floor with a thump. "T-that's not him is it?" Kouha laughed while Hakuryuu rolled his eyes.

"Our hero," He mumbled under his breath. Ignoring the teasing sibling duo of Kouha and Kougyoku, he stomped around them and to the door. The second it was open a wave of snow was ushered in. "Gah! Get inside already!" He just barely got out of the way in time for the visitor to sneak in. It took both of them to close the door again, and by the time it was a pile of snow had formed around the door. Hakuryuu had to wipe the snow out of his hair as their guest unbundled himself from his layers of winter gear.

Once he had removed his winter mask Kouha and Kougyoku jumped up. "Kouen!"

Kouen nodded at the two of them as Kouha jumped up and down had Kougyoku hugged him with glee. He patted her on the head in return, never being one for many hugs. "I'm sure the group of you have noticed the snow pouring down outside." Their eyes trailed to the pile of snow at the door. Then the snow pouring down outside. Then Hakuei who was just barely regaining feeling in her toes.

"…It may have crossed our minds."

"What's the problem with a bit of snow?" Judal scoffed, jumping onto to couch next to Hakuei so his feet hung off the end. "Just get Rudolph to shine that nose of his and Santa will be on his way. This much snow just means more snow armies to build tomorrow." He and Kouha produced evil grins while the others shivered.

Kouen shook his head. "That was because last time there was a lot of snow, but this time there is snow and ice. He can make it so they see through the snow, but it still won't be safe for them to go out in the snowfall." Kouen shook his head as he moved closer to the fire to warm himself up. "Koumei's trying to find a way to arm the sled with magic so it can fly safely, but he doesn't think that it will be ready in time." The younger members of the family all gave each other nervous looks. Santa had to be out before midnight or else he wouldn't be able to get all the presents to the kids on time. For the years they had known Santa he'd never missed a year. If he didn't finish his job in time…

Well, they weren't too sure what would happen.

Judal carelessly sipped his hot chocolate. "Sucks. No Christmas. Real bummer. They'll have to survive with the presents their parents get them. How tragic."

Kougyoku pouted. "Well bah humbug to you too."

"But Santa's got his magic," Hakuryuu argued, trying to reassure a grim looking Kou family. "Can't he just make it stop snowing around the sleigh?"

Again Kouen shook his head. "Normally he can. But a different kind of magic is fighting his, so there is no way he can stop the snow as well as use his magic to make the sleigh and reindeer fly through the night."

"You're not telling me that the snowfall is someone's magic!" kouha laughed. When no one joined in he stopped. "Oh. That is what you're telling me."

"But…" Kougyoku tried to put the pieces together. "There's only one person who controls the snow…but why would he…" There was no need for her to say the name out loud. There were a few types of magic in the world. The kind that was passed through blood, which their family had. The kind that a few were randomly born with, like Judal's magic. The kind that one had gained over the years, like father time (Aka, Solomon.). For specific types though, Santa's magic, and for example, controlling snow, it didn't work like that. A specific line of a magical family would get the power to control the snow until the next member of the family line took up the position. Only one person at a time could control the magic, which was why there was only ever one Santa. That was also true for the power to control snow and ice.

The humans liked to call him Jack Frost. Apparently Jack used to be a common name for someone who liked to play tricks on others. Frost certainly fit well for someone who could control the snow. However, those at the North Pole liked to call him by a different name…

"Sinbad," Hakuei huffed in irritation.

Hakuei had to admit. She had been fascinated by him when she was younger. Hakuei had once heard the story about the first one accidentally freezing her entire kingdom and making a living snowman! Her family of elves weren't able to do much other than the simplest forms of magic. For someone to be able to control a whole element…She'd used to dream about meeting the 'jack frost' of her lifetime when she was younger. A few times on Christmas Eve she would wait by the window not looking for Santa, but to catch a glimpse of Jack Frost who brought snow to the world.

When she had finally met the man she had been extremely disappointed.

"That guy?" Kouha shouted in confusion. "Why would he try and ruin Christmas? He loves it just as much as anyone!"

"Maybe he made some deal with the Grinch that we don't know about," Judal snickered. He would know. Apparently he had the Grinch's number on speed-dial.

"I don't know," Kouen told them all. "But I don't think he's doing it for some game." Hakuryuu pondered the idea that perhaps he was sick and he was losing control of his powers. Hakuei on the other hand scowled at the idea that he was playing some joke on them. It seemed to be his pattern whenever she saw him. He was really living up to his name as 'Jack Frost' the mischief maker. "Whatever he's doing," Kouen continued, dragging them unwillingly out of their thoughts. "He's not hiding. He's here. In the North Pole."

"WHAT?" All of them jumped up in shock. It wasn't like he didn't come up for Christmas once in a while. What was odd was that he was present for the trouble he was causing. Usually he set off a blizzard then the next thing anyone knew he was halfway across the world.

The eldest Ren brother nodded. He'd folded his arms across his chest with one hand stroking his beard, carefully considering the situation. "Yes. Koumei told me a few minutes ago. Apparently after the elves had finished their calculations of the weather, he burst through the main doors to the toy factory. He announced that when we are ready to make a deal, send our messenger into the barn. Then he walked out." After a brief moment he added, "Oh, he's waiting in the barn with the old sled."

"That jerk!" Judal jumped to his feet. "I was going to use that for tricks tomorrow! It's probably frozen over by now!" The others ignored his tantrum.

"What kind of deal does he want to make?" Hakuryuu asked his cousin. "What could Santa have that Sinbad thinks he needs to make threats to get?" Santa and Jack Frosts were usually on good terms, since everyone loved snow on Christmas. Besides, Sinbad already had his magic and a kingdom of snow. All Santa had was the magic to make the sleigh fly and see who's been naughty or nice.

"Information?" Kouen hypothesized out loud. "Power? Santa Claus has been around for hundreds of years. Perhaps he knows a secret that Sinbad wants to know." A few of them caught the little sparkle in his eyes when he mentioned secret information. That would have been the perfect gift for Kouen. "While Santa only uses his magic to make others happy and spends a majority of it on one day, he is powerful. He can see the hearts of humans, make anything fly as well as sense what a person is doing, whether sleeping or awake. And that is the magic that he uses. It's unclear whether he has more." The others took some time to process this. They'd only ever seen Santa as a Jolly uncle sort of fellow. To see him as someone who could actually fight…no, that was silly! Santa would never fight.

"But even so," Kougyoku jumped in. "What good is all that to Sinbad?" The others didn't respond. No one could come up with what Sinbad would want that power for. He was already one of the most powerful beings in the known world, with a power that was only given to one member of the world at a time. Kougyoku let out a nervous sigh. "Oh, poor Santa. Is he alright?"

To their surprise, Kouen actually nodded. "Yes. It's odd, but since Sinbad came…The rest of his elves have been in a panic and even Mrs. Claus is starting to get nervous but Santa…He is showing no signs of worry. He actually laughed earlier." There was a pause that overwhelmed the room. It was broken when Kouen abruptly turned to face Hakuei. "Sister, he wants you to go talk to Sinbad."

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Santa want's ME to go after Sinbad?" Hakuei sputtered in shock. "W…why?"

"I don't know," Kouen admitted. "But he had that look on his face…" When Hakuei's response was a blank expression he explained, "The one that he has when he knows something the rest of us don't. He usually has it on when he's plotting something." Kouen paused. "That, or he's planning on stealing Mrs. Claus's Christmas cookies before Christmas again." Kouha decided not to tell him that he and Judal had already done that the day before.

Of course Hakuei wanted to help Santa. She was one of his main helpers over the holiday season. But never in the job description had anyone told her she would have to negotiate with…with…jack frost! "I…I can't! You have to tell him no! I don't even know what I would say!"

* * *

"Oh sweet holly and mistletoe," Hakuei blurted as her teeth chattered. "It is cold!"

Unfortunately Hakuei had very quickly lost the argument as the rest of the family had urged her to go out to speak to the king of ice. Time was passing, and Santa had to be out as soon as possible. Hakuei shivered and rubber her arms as she trudged through the snow towards the old barn that held Santa's old sleigh. Even through the pouring rain she could see the ice that had surrounded the wood. _I'm gonna say he's in that one,_ Hakuei huffed. Forcing one foot in front of the other she headed over as quickly as she could. Being back in the snow was an unpleasant reminder of just how bad it was outside. Sinbad was really doing his finest work that day. But there was definitely no way Santa was flying in that.

When she got to the door it took all her energy to pound her hand on the door before quickly wrapping it around herself once again. "S-Sinbad! Open up!" She nearly bit off her tongue from the chattering teeth. The only thing keeping her warm was the fire of anger burning inside of her. _That stupid ice man had better have a good reason for doing this on Christmas Eve…_

To her relief the door creaked open, seemingly on its own. But Hakuei knew better, seeing the traces of snow etching around the wooden doorframe. Still shivering she pushed herself through the door and yanked it close behind her. "I-I-It's to c-c-cool!"

"Oh thanks, I try!"

Hakuei jumped. With a twist on her heal she found the famous Mr. Frost perched on top of the abandoned sled. The flicker in his eyes was a promise of tricks and games that she could not afford to play.

Before she had met him in the past, she had always pictured him as either a queen of ice or an old man. Sometimes a young boy who liked to play tricks on people, hence the name. There would be little dancing tiny versions on him like in the movies, with spikey blue hair and always laughed. She hadn't been expecting an adult male, only a few years older than her with long purple hair and glowing gold eyes. His clothes matched the look at least. Dark blue pants with brown shoes that curled at the ends. A light blue button up shirt with a few buttons undone and a dark blue vest with white fuzz on the inside and a wide blue scarf with white gems around his waist. Every piece of clothing was laced with frost, making his image practically glow when his with moonlight. His skin was a few shades darker than her very pale completion, probably from birth considering there was no way he ever got any sun. She'd heard other elves and creatures call him hot, though the word itself didn't seem to fit. When Hakuei's eyes glanced on him she admitted that her heart took a little leap. No matter how many times they'd run into each other that never stopped.

Luckily her memories reminded her why a little heart leap when she looked at him would be all she allowed.

He grinned at the sight of her, his teeth as white as snow. Hakuei scowled in response, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Sinbad. What are you doing?" He tipped his head to the side, pretending to contemplate the question.

"What am I doing? At the moment enjoying the welcome company," he gestured to her. As slippery as ice he slipped off the sleigh and sauntered over to her. "When was the last time we saw each other? Two months ago? Three?" Hakuei rolled her eyes. They both knew he knew the exact time they had last seen each other. He just wanted to prove she remembered as well.

Normally she tried not to comply with his demands, but she knew she didn't have the time to argue with him. "It was on Halloween. You tried to scare townsfolk into believing their forest was haunted." Sinbad snickered at the memory, but Hakuei glowered at him. "It was my forest! I had to come all the way back there from here and fix all the damage you caused!"

Sinbad put a hand on his heart and faked hurt. "Damage? It was just a bit of fun! Don't tell me you didn't enjoy the random snowballs that would attack anyone who came near." Sinbad snickered at the memory, fitting the image of Jack Frost the trickster. "Some of them were convinced there were witches in that forest!"

With a shake of her head, she stomped around him and further into the barn. Within the hour he had been waiting he'd managed to turn the barn into his own fortress. The pillars were covered in ice and beautiful trails of snowflakes danced on the walls. Wherever he stepped ice would trail out from his footsteps and slowly etch its way around the ground. The ice looked like cracks in the ground, the same as cracks in ice when it was starting to melt. Hakuei had to tiptoe her way around the ice to be sure she didn't slip. Sinbad judged her expression as she took in the sights. "Impressed with my work?"

"H-hardly," Hakuei huffed. At least it wasn't as cold around him. Since snow and ice came naturally to him he could take away the cold and keep the ice whenever someone else came in. "Aren't you supposed to be down in the South Pole? Santa didn't tell me you were spending Christmas here." Usually Sinbad remained in his palace of ice, often accompanied by his group of magical friends. Hakuei had only met a few of them, Jafar, Yamu, Pisti, Spartos, but she knew there was more. Every once in a while he and a few others would come down and spend Christmas in Santa's village. Hakuei usually counted on them informing Santa ahead of time so she could find ways to avoid running into the man of ice, as well as the mistletoe which mysteriously appeared around the house.

He tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, as if to look at her from a different angle. "Why? Would you have left?" Her eyes narrowed at him, but she knew better than to respond. He was gifted at spotting out liars she had come to learn. Sinbad sighed, circling around her to walk around, as if to contain his thoughts. "This time it seems you won't get the chance. Looks like there is quite a blizzard going on outside. Did you notice?" Hakuei ground her teeth together while Sinbad played at innocence. At that time, it wasn't from the cold.

"Sinbad, you need to stop making it snow so hard," Hakuei ordered him. "The reindeer can't fly in this weather, and we have to get the Christmas presents to everyone before morning!" He shifted ever so slightly so he could glance at her over his shoulder. His golden eyes reminded her of the sun sparkling off the sea, or a flashlight when shone through ice. Either way, they were never direct. He was always hiding something. But Hakuei did not have time to try and figure out what that was. "What is it that you want?"

For a moment he pursed his lips. Hakuei resisted the urge to slug him across the face. That would NOT put her on the nice list. _I don't have time for him to dawdle though!_ He must have known that, for he loved to tease her. Facing the window he put a hand over his mouth and chin, pretending to ponder the question. "What do I want? Hm…"

"I don't have time for this Sinbad!" Hakuei exclaimed, stomping over to him. "There's only an hour left until Santa should be up in the air, and he's going to go whether it's snowing or-"

"Do you remember the first Christmas that we met?" Hakuei raised her eyebrow at the sudden change of topic.

"Of course I do," she answered slowly, suspicious. Perhaps he was trying to get her mind off the matter at hand. "I was just a teenager when you invited yourself over to Santa's on Christmas Eve. You said you wanted to see if you were faster than the reindeer." Sinbad puffed out his chest proudly at the reminder.

"I was, wasn't I?"

Hakuei scrunched her nose at him. He had been. But the story didn't end there. "I don't know what you remember from that day." Hakuei grumbled at him. Then, in a brief moment of vulnerability she admitted under her breath, "But that had to be the worst Christmas Eve of my life."

That Christmas had been almost 120 years ago, (As magical creatures lived much longer than most.) Hakuei had been about the human age of an older adult, but as an elf she was in the middle of her teens. It was rare to find someone who was close to your age in years, another reason why she'd been curious about Sinbad when they had first met. While he was older, it was only a few years, which was rare in the magical community unless you were of the same family. He'd burst through the doors on Christmas Eve, sauntering like he owned the place and chatting with everyone like long lost friends. Hakuei had been enraptured by the gold sparkle of his eyes and bound by her curiosity of his powers. She thought she had done well in hiding that, but even so she had still fallen in his trap.

"You convinced me to come watch you and the reindeer race," Hakuei continued the story. "I knew you weren't supposed to. I knew they were supposed to be resting for the upcoming trip. But you insisted nothing bad would happen. You told me that you wanted to show me that your powers were stronger than the magic put over the reindeers." More like he was trying to show off, but Hakuei kept that at bay. "So you all snuck outside a few hours before nightfall. You even carried me because you wanted me to see the ice as you skated across the sky. Rudolph had yelled that I gave you a handicap, but you insisted you could still win."

For a moment she let her mind trail back to that. When Sinbad flew, he crated ice in the sky and skated across it as if he was riding a wave. The world had looked so small from where he had taken her. Everything looked so fragile and pure. He'd created snowflakes to encircle them, the simple sight of the carefully designed pieces of snow a piece of magic in itself. Sinbad had held her against him so she could feel his warmth on her back as she stared at the ground below them. Hakuei had felt like her heart was going to burst from happiness from the sheer thrill of the experience.

But all good things come to an end.

When she looked up she saw Sinbad was smirking at her. He must have known what she had been thinking of. Quickly she forced a scowl on her face and made the story continue. "But then you crashed. You and the reindeer were going so fast that right before you hit the finish line, your ice got caught with the sleigh. You tossed me into a pile of snow as you and the reindeer collided with the ground. All of you were out cold till the next day."

"I got you out in time, didn't I?" Sinbad mentioned as if it was of grave importance. Hakuei's glare said it was not.

"Yeah. Making me the one to deal with the issue. I had to use what little magic I had to bring all of you back to the village. I was the one who had to take the blame for letting all of you go out when I should have known better. I was the one who had to take the guilt when my family and Santa had to figure out some other way to get around the world that year. They had to take an old sleigh and one of the b-team of reindeer. They almost got caught three times that night and barely made it back before sunrise. It took me nearly 40 years before Santa's elves let me again to let me work with him over the holidays! I was put on the naughty list for the next 10 years! And then when I got home, the elven council all decided I was too foolish, childish and inexperienced to help with anything of political importance for 100 years!" She stopped when she realized she was screaming. Sinbad was staring at her, open-mouthed by her reply. For the first time she discovered that he might not have known the whole outcome of his visit.

"..It was never my intention to get you in trouble," Sinbad replied, a hint of vulnerability in his voice. For a moment Hakuei's heart softened at his tone and she allowed him to gain back a sliver of warmth.

But Hakuei forced that warmth back into the heat of cold anger and glared at him. _No, don't forgive him! S_ he tried to convince herself. _He's just trying to get himself off the hook._ "I was absolutely humiliated Sinbad. And you-you were nothing like I thought you were!" She huffed, turning away from his regret. The only one who hadn't been angry outside of her siblings and cousins was Santa. For some reason he hadn't even given her a frown. Instead as she had told him the story there had been the hint of a smile on his face. As if he knew something that she had yet to see. At the time she had been grateful, but later she'd wondered what was it that he had found so funny?

She felt the cold chill on the back of her head, telling her Sinbad had taken the few steps closer. "I remember a few other details from those two days." Hakuei shook her head. She should have known that a man named by the humans as someone who liked to play tricks would be a trickster. She'd set herself up for failure at a young age.

"I remember you looked like Christmas morning."

"And you nearly ruined Christmas that year," She snuffed at him. Stepping away she turned so she could see him but didn't look in his eye. There was honest regret in his expression, but a set determination that she'd always admired. Of course she would never say that out loud.

Sliding around her he slapped a grin on his face and made her face him. "And yet," Sinbad replied, "The next day when I woke up forced to stay in bed the next morning for my health, I woke up in the middle of the day to find you next to me."

"I remember."

"You had brought me some food," Sinbad continued as if she hadn't spoken, dancing with the snowflakes he created in his hands. "Hot chocolate with whipped cream and waffles. You were reading a book-the Christmas story? - When you saw that I had woken up. You told me to eat and that my gifts were left under the tree to open later. Mrs. Claus had made me promise to not get out of bed that day and I had to call Jafar and explain why I wasn't going to make it till the next day." Hakuei smiled at that. She'd remembered his friends yelling at him through the phone. They were so loud her siblings in the other room had heard.

"But even when I was bedridden, you stayed with me." His eyes got a glazy look as his memories transported him back to a different world. "You brought me my gifts and talked to me about the day. You only left when I had fallen asleep and was always there when I woke up. Before nightfall I had told you to go back to your own room so you could get some sleep. But in the middle of the night I had woken up to find you asleep on the chair next to me."

I had asked you why you were being nice to me when you were so angry the day before. Do you remember what you said?" He looked up at her, and she could not find the energy to look away. Did she remember? He'd given her the strangest look, mixed with suspicion and caution. Had he wondered if she had some alternative motive? Did she remember? Her heart had jumped in her chest when he'd fixed her eyes on her in the past. Even with all her anger she'd somehow been able to contain it for that day. She'd never let herself say it but deep down she'd enjoyed that Christmas. Did she remember what she'd said?

Of course she remembered.

"…Because it's Christmas."

The sparkling grin he sent back at her was as if he believed his smile alone would make up for all the trouble that he caused her. "You set the bar to high. I haven't had that much fun on Christmas since that day." She tried to ignore the little leap in her heart that came next.

Instead she tried to force her thoughts back to reality. "Yeah. Then you left the next morning."

"Well could you blame me?" Sinbad questioned her. "I was pretty sure Jafar was going to bite my head off if I'd been any later, Christmas spirit to the wind!" Sinbad leaned back against the barn doors. His eyes watched the snowflakes poor down to the earth, covering it in a blanket of frost. "And that was the beginning of our beautiful relationship as-"

"-Enemies."

"-Lovers."

They both paused.

"WHAT?" They exclaimed at the same time.

"Enemies?" Sinbad shouted at her in shock. It looked so genuine Hakuei almost thought she was in the wrong. "We aren't enemies Hakuei! How could you even think that?" They were both so shocked at the others conclusion, Hakuei didn't even notice as the ice around Sinbad shattered.

"W-we are not lovers! We are the farthest thing from lovers that people could be!" Her hands ran through her head as she tried to wrap her mind around what had just happened. "Sinbad, you not only showed yourself to be a cocky, reckless, selfish jerk on Christmas Eve, you are currently trying to destroy yet another Christmas! And for what? The joy of watching me get angry?" She decided to not mention what her impression of him had been on Christmas day itself. He didn't need to know she'd started to warm up to him after spending the day with him. Besides, she'd moved past that day! "Why do you always do this?" Hakuei threw her hands up in exasperation. "All year round, especially on Christmas, you find ways to cause problems for me! I'm always having to fix your mistakes or clean up after your games! Is it because I was nice to you on Christmas? Because this is not a way to say thank you, it's torture!" His mouth was dropped open, offended by her interpretation.

"Torture? I'm not torturing you! I never hurt anyone or caused you problems that couldn't be fixed. I was trying to get your attention!" Hakuei stared at him while he ran one hand through his hair, shaking his head as he let out a chuckle. "You're not exactly making things easy for me, you know? Unless I cause some great problem or do something so you have no choice, you'll avoid me! Don't think I didn't notice last Christmas when you had 'too much work to come out and say hi?'" He said making air quotations in the air. As he did little snowflakes danced around his hands. "Or, this one's good, the Christmas when you left on Christmas Eve because, for the first time EVER, you decided you wanted to spend your Christmas somewhere warm." At the memory Hakuei noticed that the air around Sinbad turned much colder. His mouth twitched and Hakuei saw the distinct impression of anger in his eyes.

"What? Jealous of Mr. Sun?"

Sinbad bristled. "I hate that guy."

If she were being honest, she hadn't been a big fan of him either. The sun made her dry and uncomfortable, since she was a forest elf used to the shade of the trees. She'd missed her family, had hardly gotten anything done, and Mr. Sun wanted to give to many hugs which made her feel like she was going to melt. And NOT in the good way.

She was definitely a fan of white Christmas.

"We are Enemies!"

"Lovers!"

"Enemies!'

"Lovers!"

"ENEMIES!"

"LOVERS!"

"This is ridiculous!" Hakuei stomped her foot, cracking the ice underneath her. "I'm not having this discussion! If you are ready to have a serious discussion, go find Koumei!" Spinning on her heal she stomped towards the door.

Sinbad let out a cry of frustration. "Don't walk away when we are talking!" Out of the corner of her eye she caught Sinbad flick his hand in the air. The ice underneath her was instantly turned smooth. Hakuei gasped as she started to lose her balance. Then there was a rush of wind and she was pushed back. Unable to keep her balance she fell backwards- Right where Sinbad could catch her. "There," Sinbad smirked when Hakuei tilted her head back to look him in the eye. "Much better."

Oh how she HATED it when one side of his mouth would tip up just a bit higher. Even when he was cold, it made her feel warm inside. How ridiculous! "Let me go!" She managed to pull away from him and keep her balance. To her surprise Sinbad didn't resist.

She discovered why when her feet would not move.

Looking down she found the ice had risen up and surrounded her feet. She was trapped in place by the ice that was certainly not there by accident. "You-You let me go!" Sinbad hardly blinked as he circled around so he could face her. That cocky smile was still on his face, taunting her without words. "Stop it! I'm freezing!" In a desperate attempt to be free she tried to pull her feet out. All she did was make her lose her balance once again. Only that time she fell forward and Sinbad had to catch her again. "Sinbad!"

"I love it when your cheeks get so warm," Sinbad purred as he trailed a finger across her cheeks. "The only warm thing I seem to like." She tried to force her blush into a scowl. She had already wasted enough time talking about the past and their-existent/Non-existent-relationship. There was no way she could let Santa down!

"I'll stop the snow," Sinbad interrupted her thoughts. Hakuei blinked, having completely forgotten about her original reason for coming to see him. Stupid Sinbad distracting her! "But under one condition."

She bristled with anger. "A deal? Sinbad, there is no time for this! It's Christmas eve!" Sinbad waved the question away carelessly. If he kept doing that Hakuei's anger would be enough to melt the snow.

"I know, you've mentioned that a few times now. The more you repeat it the more time will be wasted." She was silently contemplating burying him in the snow. "Don't worry, it's not that difficult," Sinbad tried to ease her temper that was growing to unimaginable heights.

"It had better be," She grumbled at him. "If I have to come all the way here just to deliver a message back to Santa…"

"Oh no, I don't want anything from him," Sinbad explained. "I want to make a deal with you."

Hakuei felt her eyes widen. "With me?" she hoped her scarf hid the blush on her cheeks. Even her own body was betraying her!

"That's right," Sinbad explained. Gliding over to her he explained, "I'll make it stop snowing so Santa can go and deliver all the presents before Christmas morning. Heck, I'll even add in making sure that they aren't seen and get back before sunrise. But I need you to do something for me."

Immediately her eyes narrowed at him. She'd never actually made a deal with him, despite having met with him many times over the years. Anyone who had on the other hand, even his friends Jafar and Masrur, all advised her to never make a deal with him. "…What kind of deal?" She asked cautiously, at least willing to hear him out. It wasn't like she had that many options, or the time.

His grin was laced with poison. In a flash he jumped away and Hakuei had to wave her arms to keep her balance. He on the other hand skidded on the ice in a flashy was as easily as he would have walked on the ground. Show-off. "Not lovers? Okay, fine, maybe we aren't." Sinbad began mumbling under his breath. "If me using my powers across the world to get your attention isn't considered a relationship that is…"

"It's not!" Hakuei barked at him.

"Then we'll have to start one then!" Sinbad swirled around with a mischievous grin that Hakuei KNEW she did not like. "Tomorrow. Let's go on our fourth date."

Hakuei felt her mouth drop open. That? He was on the brink of ruining Christmas…for that? "W…What? When was our third date? Or our first?" Sinbad waved the question away, snowflakes following his hand as he moved.

"I think what's important now is whether you agree or not. So Hakuei," He shifted the ice that held her feet and brought her closer to him. She let out a quick gasp as he trailed one cold finger from her collar up to her chin with a clever smile. She could still feel the cold on her skin when he forced her to look her in the eyes. "Will you spend Christmas with me?"

Christmas?

He wanted to spend all of Christmas day with her?

Of all the things! He created a magical blizzard to spend one day with her? "That…That's it?" Sinbad raised one eyebrow as his head to the side.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm willing to go to extreme means to get what I want."

"With little worry towards what it does to others," Hakuei muttered.

"And what I really need," Sinbad continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Is you."

Hakuei stared into his eyes, trying to find the lie. There had to be more than that. But there was no trace of a lie in his eyes. Either he was telling the truth…or a really good liar. But…But…"Don't you have other people to spend Christmas with?"

"Oh sure!" Sinbad laughed. "I need to be at Drakon's place in the morning to give gifts around. But as long as I'm back for dinner, I'll be free for the rest of the day." With a wink he added, "And you know I can get there and back pretty quickly." At that point, she wasn't sure whether she should glare at him or laugh. She wasn't sure of anything at that point. It felt like everything she had known over the last hundred years or so had been a lie. Was that night even real? Was she dreaming? Was Santa playing some kind of trick on her? Would she wake up on Christmas morning just to find nothing had changed?

"Why…Why do you want to spend Christmas with me?"

Sinbad paused. He stared into her eyes, focusing on the bright blue colour that reminded him of the ice he loved so much. This one women who was the only one who had turned his world around for hundreds of years that passed and likely thousands to come within a few hours on one Christmas day. The one who had continued to capture his attention every time he saw her. He learned things about her he liked. He learned things about her he didn't like. He learned things he did like. But no matter what he learned, he always wanted to know more. More about her. He wanted to be around her more. All of her.

And as the legendary Jack Frost, he couldn't possibly let her get away.

"Because it's Christmas."

"Why do you think I would agree to do this?"

He paused at that. Then, with a sheepish smile he said, "Because it's Christmas?"

Hakuei paused. She stared into his eyes, glowing gold like one of the stars at midnight that she would stare at for hours. This was the man who she had wondered about for years as a child, wanting to meet him and discover what he was like. The same one that had crushed her dreams and haunted her nightmares for years afterwards. But even while she tried to tell herself that she hated all the trouble he would cause and never wanted to see him, her heart always got a giddy feeling when he was around. She secretly smiled every time he was able to prove someone else wrong, or froze over an unsuspecting human who was mistreating another. She didn't know him well.

But she couldn't help the desire in her heart that told her to find out more.

"…Fine. But only because it's Christmas."

* * *

"Sister, why don't you come play with us?"

Hakuei shook her head to Kouha who tried to pull Hakuei over to Kougyoku and Judal who were surrounded by a few Christmas elves. They had all finished unwrapping their gifts in the morning and now everyone had a few hours to do as they liked before dinner. Hakuryuu and Kouen were reading some books at the couch. Mrs. Claus and Koumei were helping the elves sort out the wrapping paper and divide the gifts that were left over. Her younger siblings were in a circle playing with the small weapons and toys they were given. Hakuei had put her presents to the side and wrapped herself up in a white Christmas sweater with a red scarf and green pants. Everyone else was still in their pajamas, but she looked ready to go out.

Kouha pouted up at his sister in anguish. "But I just got a bow and arrow set! You have to help me learn how to use it!" For the first time he gave her outfit an once-over. "Where are you going anyway?"

"Just…going to see someone," Hakuei answered, being purposefully vague as her cheeks turned red. "He has to leave before dinner, so I shouldn't keep him waiting."

Kouha frowned at her answer. "Who-"

"Hakuei?" She turned to see a familiar face standing at the doorway. He gave her a jolly smile. "You have a visitor." The cold air and snowflakes that trailed out behind him told her who it was. Hakuei tried to fight the smile on her face as the man gave her a knowing smile. "I don't believe he wants to be kept waiting," He added with a wink.

She nodded quickly. "Alright." After a quick goodbye to Kouha she grabbed her coat and hurried past the man.

As she was leaving she added, "Thank you Santa!"

Santa Claus chuckled. "Merry Christmas!"


	12. Chapter 12 The Faucheuse

The Faucheuse

 **This was fun! I wanted to try and write something a little different than normal. Enjoy.**

Have you heard the story?

The old tale, you know the one.

The ancient one, the bedtime story, the folklore passed on through generations.

But while everyone knows it, only a few truly understand it. I wonder if you know the truth.

Do you? Could you know? Not many really know.

Countless people have heard the tale. But it would take a specific person to have realized that the story that is told around the fire…the legend that children hear to go to sleep at night…

Is a lie.

You all know the story. It's a simple one. Everyone loves to talk about it, don't they? Do you know story? The false one I mean. The one that lets people sleep at night. The one that reassures them that everything will be okay.

The one that the world wants to accept is quite simple. The great sailor of the seven seas who traveled the world bringing men to their knees with a simple flick of his sword. The sailor who fell in love with the white crystal who shone bright in the darkest of nights. The courageous tale of how the sailor beat the trials set in order to win her heart, only for her to have been taken away by the _faucheuse._ How the crystal made a deal to free herself from his grasp so the two could be reunited once again.

And they all lived happily ever…

After?

Such a positive ending, isn't it? What a nice way to end the story.

Ah. If only.

History hardly gets it right though, does it?

No, that's not what happened. We both know that, don't we? You saw it, didn't you? The problem in the story? The flaw that only few can see? You must have seen it. But just because you see it, doesn't mean you know what reall happened. The real story was not passed down. It is not the classic that everyone knows. It's a mystery.

I know the real story though. I know what really happened to the sailor and his crystal. The meeting of the two lovers, the test he had to beat in order to win his love, and the deal that the crystal had to make in order to be with the sailor again. And the true meaning to their happily ever after.

Do you want to know?

Are you sure?

Well then I will tell you.

But I am sorry. Do be careful.

I can't stand to see someone cry.

Over a thousand years ago, generations after the two lovers and anyone who had known them were dead and gone, there was a kingdom named Laem. Now there were many other kingdoms as I'm sure you know, but the story has to start somewhere. In this kingdom there lived many people, but we are going to start with the sailor.

Of course, the sailor did have a name. Sinbad, and he was just as famous then as his story is now. Charming, strong, intelligent, attractive and ambitious enough to catch anyone's eye. When the story says he sailed the seven seas, that part is actually true. The story never goes into detail about the trouble he caused, the losses he faced, nor of the choices that he made that be considered very questionable today. But we don't have time for all that. What you need to know that he was a very powerful individual who was well liked in his time. Legends say he had hair the colour of poison and eyes the colour of gold with a smile as tricky as a fox.

Perhaps he really was a fox. He was a very tricky man.

When he was in Laem doing…oh, I don't know what he was doing. Causing trouble with his friends I'd say. But one particular day, a few years before the story actually takes place, he took a special path. No, if you go there now there aren't any signs. No landmarks stating the importance of this road. Even I don't know the name. But it as an important path. Our entire story would be a waste if Sinbad hadn't gone down this one path.

Because as he was walking down this path he saw the lady that he would make his white crystal.

Of course her name was not white crystal. But her name did mean white crystal. Hakuei Ren was her real name. A very kind women, while loved by her family not very popular or well-known outside of her friends. Of course, what reason would she have to be well known? The Ren clan was a family known for their search for intelligence and understanding. They were a powerful family, often known for their desires for battle and war. Hakuei however, was known for her desire of peace and understanding of all people. She had hair so dark it was tinged with blue in the moonlight, and blue eyes the colour of the sea. But her odd way of thinking compared to the rest of her loved ones made others remember the meaning of her name more than the name.

A white crystal in the midst of destruction.

Still, a white crystal among powerful gems such as rubies, sapphires and gold would never be the most desired.

But for a man with eyes of gold whose soul was filled with darkness, someone who was light and different was exactly what he needed.

Their first meeting was an accident. Never spoken of again, even between the two of them. I wish I could tell you what happened that day. What they said that started something different for them. What could have happened to start their longing for the other for years to come? It's a mystery. But whatever happened that day was the beginning.

But for them, it also sealed the end.

It was three years after this first meeting when her elder brothers thought she ought to get married. Hakuyuu and Hakuren, those were her eldest brothers, had been getting offers for her hand for quite some time. Hakuyuu decided they needed to deal with it and deal with it quickly. So, as a family famous for intelligence, he decided to have a test.

Because who doesn't love a good test?

Now, her family did not know about her relationship with Sinbad. You should know that before I continue. That way you'll know they didn't do anything to build the test in his favour. They only knew him as the sailor who came to visit her very often. Others assumed they were old traveling friends who would share his stories of his adventures whenever he was in town.

They didn't know how far out of his way he would go so he could come visit her whenever he was in town.

Or the hours they spent together talking, sometimes not leaving until the morning after for falling asleep from talking so long.

They didn't realize that in those three years they had fallen in love.

And they most certainly didn't realize that Sinbad would stop at nothing to win that test.

All the details of the test were lost to time. I know the basics, lucky for you. Her brother would ask them a set of questions predetermined before the test came out. Some people were able to answer a few. Others were able to answer more. A small number were able to get through all of the questions, and many thought they were going to win.

All but one.

One riddle.

Whenever anyone got to the last question, the last riddle for them to answer in order to have her hand.

But they never answered it right.

Do you know why?

It was technically not a real riddle. That must be why everyone has gotten it wrong. Hakuyuu told the contestants it was a riddle, but the truth was it was a simple question. One that should have been easy to answer. Today, I'll bet most of you could have given that answer. But you see, at the time, in that place, few people valued what Hakuyuu was looking for. But a scholar like him knew how valuable it was, even at the time when it was seen as small. And he wanted his only sister to have it. Whether others thought it was odd or not.

Besides, she was odd.

Many people have tried to guess what that riddle was.

Even the stories who don't get the whole story right have at least made an attempt for the riddle.

No one has been able to guess it. No one has gotten it right.

It's a good thing I have it.

The riddle, I mean.

I know the riddle. I have to. It's too important.

It was the riddle that should have given them their happily ever after.

Instead it sealed their fates.

I mentioned how popular Sinbad was, didn't I? He had many friends. A few enemies of course, but more friends than enemies. Lovers also. Many women loved him as well. But Hakuei just happened to be the only one that he chased after. Most girls were fine with that.

But there was one who was not.

Unfortunately, I do not know the name of this women. She preferred to remain…hidden after all that happened.

She found out about the two. The sailor and the white crystal. But she wasn't as happy as you or I would be. She wanted Sinbad for herself. She hated Hakuei who was too odd and hidden within her family to be good enough for him. At least, in her opinion of course. You and I don't think that way. How could we? We didn't know them. Only their stories.

But she was sure. She thought she was the only one good enough for him. He just didn't understand.

She was determined to make him understand.

But what good did that do? How could she make him believe that she was the only one for him when he was so in love with someone else? She was desperate! She could not let him make such a big mistake! No, she needed Hakuei gone. Gone, out of the way. Forever.

So she got help.

The help that was there for her at that time was not who we would call for help. Not police or doctors or government officials. Back then? Who could she turn to?

She got help from a witch instead.

Her name was Arba. She had no qualms with people knowing her name. She was actually proud of the end result. She'd done her job perfectly. She'd given the girl the perfect curse to ruin them. The ruin the sailor and the white crystal.

It was pretty simple actually. A potion-don't ask me what it was, I couldn't make it if I tried- she slipped it into Hakuei's drink, it would spread through her. Then, with the right word, it would summon the faucheuse, and Hakuei would be taken away. It was perfect.

Except, she didn't tell her what to say.

The women was furious with her. She was able to slip the drink the potion into Hakuei's drink, but what good did that do? She couldn't set it off. She couldn't stop it.

Was that it?

You and I both know the truth.

Sinbad was able to answer all the questions. Every question that Hakuyuu and Hakuren put forward the sailor of the seven seas answered. Everyone watched in fascination as the answers were given easily. Hakuei watched nervously, silently praying for wisdom. I know this scene rather well. It's very important to the story, so I can't tell you the truth without this part. When Sinbad got to the last question, everyone held their breath. Few of them actually believed he would be able to answer it. No one else had been able to, why would he?

But Hakuei hoped.

And Sinbad would not lose.

"There are many things in this world," her brother began, a watchful eye on the sailor with golden eyes. "Some things you can see. Others you can't. Things that can be named and things that will never be named.'

'So tell me. What is in this world that no one can understand, that no one can name, that no one can hold. What is the most powerful piece of this world that bind everything that lives, yet can cause destruction beyond compare. What destroys and builds? What is hidden in plain sight? What gives strength to soldiers that can cause armies to run in fear? What is it that when all of us are dead and gone with keep us alive? What is a soul built on?'

'And," he added, "I wanted you to tell me with only one word."

Well?

What is it?

Do you know?

Have you figured it out?

Did you figure out the answer to the riddle?

You can.

I know you can.

It is there.

You've seen it.

Every day, whether you know it or not, you have seen it.

But it takes someone very special to recognize it.

I hope you have. I hope you can.

Sinbad was one who could recognize it. He knew the answer to his riddle because he had found it. It had taken him quite a long time, longer than he cared to admit. But he'd found it. Hakuei had found it. They both knew the answer to the riddle because they'd found it together.

His golden eyes had flickered to Hakuei Ren. And her blue ones smiled at him in approval. With a confident smile he answered.

"Love."

Love.

That was it.

That was the answer to the riddle.

That was the thing that would allow Hakuei and Sinbad to be together.

But.

Oh there is always a but.

But it was the very thing that took it all away.

For that word.

That special word.

Love?

That was the word set off the spell.

Do you remember what the name of the creature that took Hakuei away was?

The _faucheuse._

It's French actually. Such a beautiful language. Some say it is the language of love.

Oh love.

Any kind of love. Family. Friend. Romantic. Love in mercy, love in gratitude, love in kindness and hope. Love is considered one of the greatest gifts of all.

But you know, don't you?

Good things do not come without a price.

What does faucheuse mean? Oh, come now. You must know. You must know what it means.

Faucheuse is French for the grim reaper.

Death.

Death was what stole the white crystal away from the sailor.

There is no cure for that.

As there is no cure for love.

Hakuei Ren was gone before she hit the ground.

Now, I feel my wording is very important to the story here.

Gone.

Lost.

But, actually, not dead.

Isn't that interesting?

How could she be gone but not dead? It was the grim reaper after all.

It would have been better, for both of them, if she had been really dead.

They only found out later what had happened. Her brother found in his scrolls the true expanse of the spell. The fraucheuse would take his sister away and cage her in a prison. A prison far away, one no one could ever find. And he would wait. Was there torture? Who knows? But he would wait. He would wait for her to give up. To beg for the end, pray for him to just let her die.

And then he would let her die.

Of course you know the story did not end there.

Sinbad had never been the kind of man who went along with what fate dealt him.

Hakuei's life had been taken from her before her time. So who better to fix it then the man of time?

King Solomon was his name. A nice fellow, if not a little stiff. But he was always willing to fix the unjust and help those who had been wronged.

Sinbad found him. He begged the king of time to let him see Hakuei again. But Solomon couldn't do a thing. "Sinbad, you are only human. There is nothing I can do! She was taken by the grim reaper, even I don't know where he takes his victims!"

"Please," Sinbad begged. "You have to do something. I have to save her! I can't lose her!"

To his credit, Solomon really tried. He did his best to convince him there was nothing he could do. To move on, if for her and nothing else at least. She wouldn't want him to be alone.

But the sailor of the seven seas? The first class singularity?

Do you really think there are many people in the world who could save him from being alone?

With all his offers however, Sinbad could not convince Solomon to change the past.

However, father time's wife was not as hard to persuade.

Queen Sheba, Mother Nature, was the only one who knew where the grim reaper brought his prisoners. She had to. Someone had to make sure nature took its course. She listened to Hakuei's story. She sympathised with her story and her heart went out to the women who was so close to her love but so far. Hakuei knew she was going to die. Part of her have given up. She'd been in that unknown prison for too long.

But she had one plea.

Just one.

Please.

Just for a moment.

She begged Sheba to let her see Sinbad again. Just once.

A day. Only one day?

Father time and Mother Nature were able to give them a day.

They were able to give them one day for the rest of their lives.

Mother Nature went to her husband and asked him for that. He could set back the time so she would live and Mother Nature would change them so their deaths would come later than most.

"This will not last forever," Solomon had warned Sinbad when he told him. "I can give you only a thousand years. But then Mother Nature…my wife…will have to do her job, and the two of you will pass away. You are both only human, after all."

But Sinbad didn't care. He just wanted to see her again. He agreed, and Sheba went back to tell Hakuei the deal they were offering.

But. But just to be safe.

She gave her a bell.

"Just ring the bell, when you give up," the queen of nature had told her sympathetically. "No one ever rings it. And I hope you won't. I hope your love is strong enough so you won't." She placed the bell in her cell. A cell that only Hakuei and Sheba know the location of to this day. Even I don't know where it is.

Mother never told me.

Father said I had too many things to do.

Being the fourth magi often takes lots of time.

But at least they told me the real story.

And I know what happened to them.

So yes. They were reunited again.

And they were taken away from each other.

Again. And again. And again.

364 days. 364 days was their curse. For 364 days the two were forced to be alone. For 364 days they were unable to see each other, touch each other, hear each other or be with each other. Their hearts were crushed. Minutes turned to hours, hours to days as they desperately longed to be with the one they loved. Have you ever been away from someone you loved? Well then you may understand what they felt. Going through the days wanting nothing more than their lover, but being unable to do anything about it. As the days passed there would be screams. Tears would be shed and they would cry in the frustration and cruelty of it all.

For should love not be simple?

No. You understood that, didn't you? When you heard the story the first time?

Love is never that simple.

But then, love is worth it.

The last day. On the 365th day. The same day they were meant to have wed. On that day the world would do them one favour. They would see that all their suffering was not in vein. 24 hours. 24 hours a year, he was hers. And she was his.

And they were together again.

The bell always there. The snake left the bell exactly where it had been. For when one of the two could not take it anymore and want to be free of their fate, all they would have to do would be to ring the bell.

But they didn't.

For over a thousand years, they didn't.

The bell remained on the table, collecting dust as the two went through each day in agony, longing for the other. And yet they would not ring the bell.

For through all that pain. All those days waiting for the one to see the person they loved. The torment of trying to continue without them there with them each day.

It was all worth it.

For they had the one day.

The one day together.

This was their fate until the day they died.

And death was the only time in their entire lives that they were ever truly together.

…

…was that it?

Was that what you wanted? What you expected?

No. No, I don't think so.

I'm sorry. But you must understand. If you didn't understand, you wouldn't have made it this far.

At the beginning of this story, I told you only a specific person would have guessed that the fairy tale was a lie. Do you remember? Can you guess why?

Because for someone to know that the story could not go that easy, they would have to have understood what the driving point of the story was.

They would have had to know the meaning to understand that it had to be this way.

You would have had to feel what sailor and the white crystal felt.

Love.


	13. Chapter 13 A Great Man

A Great Man

 **Different things are kind of depressing me lately…in real life, in the news, in magi itself (especially Sinbad no bouken)…So I'm kinda taking it out on this story. Enjoy…?**

 **Note: Slightly different from cannon. Kou empire arc didn't happen, Hakuryuu didn't rebel to defeat Gyouken and Arba didn't possess Hakuei in this one but possessed someone else.**

I didn't know all that would happen.

How could I have known?

From the beginning I didn't know how bad it would get.

Maybe I should have known.

When I'd seen him for the first time in Magnustand, I hadn't known. He was another king trying to get in the way of my countries plans. Another arrogant man who thought he could take us down. We'd faced many of those before. I'd had my own share of having to fight back against the overconfident leader who wouldn't listen to reason. I'd refused to put my trust in him as I would anyone else in his position. It wasn't anything personal. Simply a precaution. There was nothing that struck him as more different than any other enemy I'd come to face at the time.

Really, I couldn't have known.

Later I met him officially after Aladdin convinced the three countries to sign a cease-fire agreement I met the man officially. I remember King Sinbad of Sindria had held out his hand to shake mine while I had already folded my hands for a bow. My culture prefers greeting others without touching them, for sanitary reasons I suppose. The king had been taken aback when I didn't take his hand. I remember his laugh when he let his hand drop to his side, golden eyes gleaming with ease. "I suppose I should get used to this if I'm going to be working with Kou for a while, right? I certainly hope I get to meet you again princess." I had smiled politely, but did not laugh. Aladdin had showed me the books about the king, and his opinions on all princess's being troublesome and annoying.

Calling me princess may have been a formality, but I knew it wasn't a compliment.

Maybe that was when I should have known.

It wasn't until later he stopped calling me princess and started calling me general. I wasn't sure when exactly he'd stopped or even why. I'd never told him that I didn't prefer being called princess. Perhaps one of my friends had? Or maybe after having me in so many meetings acting as a leader instead of a bystander he didn't believe the name fit me anymore. Maybe it was because after the walks we'd take to and from various meetings in the courtyard talking about philosophical questions and debate different issues the world would have to face because of Aladdin's announcement that he believed a general just made more sense.

But slowly my name changed from princess Hakuei. To General Hakuei. To just Hakuei.

I really didn't know at the time. I had no idea.

I had been just as surprised as anyone when the king had invited me to his kingdom. There were various parts of the treaty that had to be met on both sides, and one of Sindria's was that they had a representative from our country remain in Sindria as our spokesperson. When my country was picking people to go on the Kou Empire's behalf, Sinbad had asked if I would like to come. "Just until your country picks a representative of course," he'd told me with an innocent smile. "I'd like to show you around."

No one was sure what he was thinking. Many of us thought he had some kind of plan, a specific reason to ask me to come away from the country I called home. Kouen had cautioned me to be careful. He was a man who prided himself for being able to convince royalty, women especially, to tell him anything he desired. His specialty was taking those of power who could be key players in the world and making them his allies. As a general who knew many of the plans my country had made, it only made sense he would try and get them out of me. And a dungeon capturer? He may have held the most djinn's a man could hold, but having another person with a djinn must have sounded like a good proposition.

I had my own problems to worry about I remember. I was the sole protector of the Kouga nations and other tribes that we'd come to ally with in the years that had passed. A large number of them were my metal vessel users. I couldn't just leave to a different country for who knew how long and leave them unprotected. Part of me wondered if that was the king's goal. To get me away from my people so the Kou Empire would sabotage them, then King Sinbad would be there to swoop in and pick up the pieces.

But even while the king had invited me under innocent pretences, I did not trust him.

So I had given the tribes their own seats. In the time I had before my departure, I'd gotten one member from each tribe their own seat on the council so they could not be taken advantage of while I was gone. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea.

I hadn't known my own mistake.

When I arrived in Sindria I didn't come alone. Seisyuun had remained in Kou as my temporary replacement, to help guide the tribes in our countries politics until they were able to stand on their own feet. But I came with a number of people the Kou Empire had chosen for Sinbad to choose from as a representative. They thought it was better to send more than one so he could pick who would fit best on his own. I had been proud of being one of the ones who suggested the idea in the first place. It seemed like a good way to start off what we hoped would be a long-lasting treaty.

None of us had been aware of how useless it was.

While our five representatives tried to spend time with the king and attempted to learn about the country, the king paid them no mind. If I hadn't known better I would have said the only time he even spoke to them was during the original tour and official dinners including every general in his country. It had bugged me at first. We'd carefully picked representatives that we thought would fit in his country well, and he barely gave them a second glance back. The other representatives must have noticed. They couldn't have been happy with it.

In time, I started to realize their anger was not directed only at the king. Many of them were angry with me.

One day I had been speaking to one of the women generals from our country about the issue. She had scowled at me in disbelief. "You really don't know?" She'd scoffed, as if she thought I was making fun of her. I'd shaken my head honestly, just as confused then as I had been when I'd first realized there had been a problem. The women had shaken her head, with outrage directed at me and sheer disbelief at her situation. "How could the king possibly be spending any time with us? In case you haven't noticed…

All of his free time has been spent on you."

Truly, I hadn't known.

Looking back, I suppose that was true. Nearly every day I had run into him at least once, and I'd say the least amount of time I ever spent with him a day could account to about two hours. Most of the time it was much longer than that. It was rare that I did not share at least one meal with him. There were quite a few times he'd invite me to bring my work into his office so we could work together. Each party the country had held the king insisted I save a dance for him. Said dance would often be my only dance, as he would glare at anyone other than his generals who tried to ask me. Of course he did not mind when I danced with his generals. They also had started to become more of friends than acquaintances. I had come to know all of his generals by name, and any time I didn't spend alone or with the king was spent with them. And that was not counting the various conversations we would have that would sometimes go on for hours.

At the time my only thoughts were gratitude that I hadn't been forced to spend my visit alone. I hadn't realized just how much time I stole form the king until it was pointed out to me.

I hadn't known what kind of valuable information he was thinking he would get from me. If he was spending all that time to make me his ally it was useless. Kou was already allied with him, what difference would me knowing him do? He'd gotten all he wanted, an alliance with the Kou Empire and our country having to change our laws to fit with his. My own power was insignificant compared to that of even the other generals who had been asked to come. Yet he continued to spend his time on me.

As the realization had come to me, my fears and anxieties continued to grow with every meeting.

What could he want from me? What was I missing? Would I slip up and tell him what he needed to know, whatever it was? It must have been important, but did that mean dangerous for me? For my country?

If only I had known. The truth that he was hiding.

After about two months I'd given in and gone to the king directly. I had asked him to tell me what it is that he wanted from me. Part of me was desperate enough to beg, but I forced myself not to damage my pride needlessly. The king had been expressionless when I'd given my statement which made me feel worse. He must have known what I was asking him, so why did he look clueless? When I'd had my fill I'd waited for his response patiently, refusing to leave without some kind of answer. The king took his time in giving it to me, observing me from where he sat with a spark of interest in his eyes. After some time he stood up from his chair and walked around his desk to meet me halfway.

"I don't know what makes you think I would want information from you," the king had said, almost sounding disappointed. "Was wanting to spend time with you so wrong? Or is your confidence so low that you don't think someone could want you without having an ulterior motive."

My confidence, for the record, was fine. "If that was true then you would be spending time with my officials just as much as you are spending time with me."

"This again!" The king had ran one hand through his hair. It had been a conversation we'd had more than once at that point, one he was never fond of speaking about.

"King Sinbad, my country carefully picked them as our representatives and took the time to pick more than one so you could have your choice. They are angry that their work has been ignored." I remember the King had turned away from me with a twinge of anger written on his face. I remember that because still had a trace of it when he'd turned back when I had continued speaking. "And as for ulterior motives," he turned. "The last member of my country you were so nice to was Kougyoku."

"Oh, now that's just not fair!" King Sinbad had objected, not needing an explanation to what I meant. "That was before our countries were allies. I needed some kind of assurance that we would not go to war." His logic had seemed fine to me. He was easily able to spin the situation around so he sounded like the hero, so his actions no matter how good or bad were justified.

That should have been my first clue. I should have known.

Sadly, I had not. "Regardless, you had been kind to her without giving her a reason and in the end it had backfired on her. Given that situation and mine, is it so strange for me to jump to this conclusion?"

"Trust me, I did not have as much interest in your sister that I do in you." Perhaps he had meant it as encouragement, but I took his words to be anything but a compliment.

"That's even more concerning. That means whatever you want from me is even worse than what you wanted from Kougyoku. And you used her to spy on her own brothers." I'd tilted my head to the side, ignoring the annoyed glare Sinbad had sent in my direction. "I don't know how I will be able to react if whatever you want is worse than that. Won't you at least tell me what you want? Please, just be honest with me!"

Honesty? If only I had known how ironic that ward was when speaking to him.

"I don't want anything from you!" The king had exclaimed, and it was hard for me not to believe him. That was, until he continued. "I mean…nothing like what you think."

Alarm bells must have gone off in my head, because I remember my heart started racing. "What is that supposed to mean? Is it worse?" I think I started thinking about all the potential reasons he could want me on his side. I can't remember them all now, but I remember being terrified.

It must have shown on my face, for the king hurried to reassure me. "No, it's not like that! It's nothing bad! I don't want anything from you!" After a pause he had sighed and locked his eyes with mine. "I…I want you." Looking back, that should have been a pretty clear answer. But after the days of panicking and gathering ideas in my head, I suppose I couldn't capture his meaning.

"You want me…what? What do you want me to do? Do you want me because I have a djinn, or because I'm a general? If you want information about the Kou Empire anything I can tell you I guarantee Kouen or Koumei have already told you,"

"No!" Sinbad had slammed one hand down on his desk. It may have bene out of frustration, but I just remember my heart skyrocketing for fear of my life. "No, I don't want you for anything political! When I say I want you, I want you! I haven't been paying attention to the other representatives because I want YOU to be Kou's representative in my country! And that's not because I want information out of you or want to take your power away from your country. It's because you're one of the few people I've ever felt this strongly about and I want you to stay with me! I don't want just your power or your position. I. Want. You." After his announcement, I don't remember how long the silence lasted. I don't remember how long the two of us just waited there, staring into each other's eyes trying to see into their souls. I knew my emotions must have been written all over my face, because even the king who wore his face like a mask had desperation written in his expression.

Of course my response was so elegant, fit for a general of my standing.

"…Oh…oh."

Did you catch my sarcasm?

Things were a little…different after that. I'll admit, for a while after that, I was still pretty cautious. Part of me thought it was just another step of some great elaborate plan that I had yet to discover. But when I had not rejected the idea Sinbad must have taken it as an opportunity. I may have not given him a yes but I hadn't given him a no either. I wouldn't say he was more forward after that since he'd been fairly forward before, except he started being more honest with his intentions. Instead of asking me to meals with the generals he started bringing me to meals just the two of us. When he was drunk his flirtations were much more obvious than before. I appreciated that he would talk to me about us before we became a couple. He let me run through all the possible scenarios, different things we would potential argue about and whether we would work out or the whole thing would just cause problems for everyone.

There were a few problems that I hadn't even considered until it was too late.

I'm sure the other representatives from Kou were outraged. They had stayed in his country for months for nothing. To get no position of power, to earn no respect in the court, for just a waste of time. And all for, what I'm sure they thought, some pretty princess who somehow seduced the king? Someone who would serve as more of entertainment for the king than an actual political figure. I'm honestly not what they would have if Sinbad hadn't had an emotional connection to me, however I suspect the emotions would have been the same. Just different rumours to make them feel better about themselves.

I felt a little bad for them at the time. I didn't even fight when they would take their anger out on me. Sabotaging my work, yelling at me when there was no one else around. Once I overheard them considering whether one of them would still be picked as a representative since all I was doing was showing signs of being a silly princess who wanted to have fun and fall in love. I remember being genuinely confused at that, considering I had not said yes to Sinbad nor had I realized I was feeling anything beyond friendship for the king.

When it was pointed out to me however, I wondered if it was true.

Either way, I couldn't blame them for their anger. They hardly knew me, and I'm sure to them I was just a silly princess. My female cousins often did nothing to prove them wrong, and I recognized one of them as actually being one of their previous tutors. I tried not to let their whispers bother me, I'd dealt with ugly rumors before. It wasn't until one night that I stopped understanding their reactions.

Maybe he had been drinking. Maybe he just hadn't heard us walk past on the night of the party. But one night I was walking with King Sinbad through the festivities when we happened to overhear one of the generals blurting out whatever came to mind to the fellow drunkards who were too drunk to pay any attention to what he was saying. "You'd think that a daughter of Hakutoku would show more dignity!" his friends had laughed while he took another gulp of beer. At my side Sinbad had stopped on the path we took, far enough for them to not notice us but close enough so he could hear. "How could such a stupid girl ever become a general? I tell you what, I'll bet this is how she makes all her deals I'd bet. Seduces the leader until they do what she wants. That girl is probably not as innocent as she looks!" Normally I would have blushed at the accusation, but instead my mouth had dropped open aghast that anyone would think such a thing. I hadn't noticed Sinbad watching my reaction. I don't think he really believed him. But there was worry for what pain his words may have caused me.

"When I get back to Kou everyone will know about the girl's ditzy attitude!" The general had continued to his friends. "Let's see if her reputation can last if everyone knows how much of a flirt she really is. Probably will be better if she stays here, since she'll be seen as a fool when she gets back!" I remember the genuine fear that had shot through me at his words. Whether true or not, it was the word of five representatives against my own. My siblings may had tried to defend me but their power did not extend into the thoughts of the people. And if I didn't have support, I really couldn't do anything.

Sinbad must not have known about their rumors. Because when he heard them talk, I could see the outrage on his face.

I suppose that whole scene should have been my first warning.

If only I had known.

The representatives were called back the next day. None of them were sure why, but King Sinbad said there was an immediate order for their swift return. When I had started towards the boat however, King Sinbad had taken hold of my hand. "The call was only for the representatives," he'd explained to me. "You are to stay in Sindria." I hadn't understood why only the representatives were called back and not I. technically, I wasn't supposed to have been there in the first place. I'll admit I was frightened by the idea of them getting back to Kou before me, spreading their rumours before I could get back to defend myself. But Sinbad showed no sign of regret. He had no animosity in his face when he sent them off, despite that outrage on his face the night before. I'd not thought much of it at the time.

I hadn't known even when we received news later that day.

I'd rushed into Sinbad's office as soon as I heard. Perhaps I wanted confirmation, perhaps I wanted support. Either way when I entered the King looked up from his work immediately, a look of surprise on his face. "Hakuei? What's wrong?"

"The boat! The boat to Kou was…was it really destroyed? Is it true?"

"Ah yes, I believe it is true," Sinbad's response was far to calm considering the situation. He'd walked over to me with a sympathetic smile and placed his hands on my arms. "Are you alright?"

"I…" I don't know if I was alright. I think I was stunned more than anything else. "But…how? The weather is fine today!"

"From the report I was given, there was a very nasty wind on the way there. It blew them straight into the rocks and the boat was hit instantly." He'd pulled me into a hug before I could try and connect what he had said to what I had heard. "I've already contacted the Kou Empire to tell them the news. They understand, and would like you to remain here as Kou's representative if that is alright with me. Considering all their other options are…I'm sorry, were you close to any of them?" Kou's representative? I hadn't even thought about that at the time. My mind had been stuck on the deaths of the members of Kou.

"I…No, I wasn't. But it's still….it makes no sense, I-I just saw them…"

"Shh…" Sinbad whispered into my ear as he tugged me closer. "It will be fine. At least you won't have to worry about them speeding those rumours anymore." That hadn't even occurred to me. I hadn't been worried about that. I'd dealt with much worse. I must have said that out loud, for the king tightened his grip around my waist. "…you shouldn't have to." I hadn't known what he meant. I had been too stunned to do anything but remain safe and protected in his arms.

Blissfully innocent.

As I had left the throne room Jafar had walked in as my replacement. As I had left, I'd overheard Jafar talking to the king. At the time what he said hadn't made any sense to me. Maybe it was shock or because it didn't sound important enough to me that I didn't pay attention. But looking back, that might have been my first mistake. "King Sinbad, don't you think you're getting very greedy?"

I could practically hear Sinbad's smile as the door was shut. "No, this is necessary. I've told you that I don't care if I have to dirty my hands to help those I care for. Why are you surprised?" Jafar had frowned, but he hadn't continued.

I'm ashamed to say I didn't make the connection at the time. At that time, I definitely should have known.

There were signs of it as I continued to stay. Perhaps I just didn't want to see them. Kou did officially sign me as their representative, simply because they had no one else who was willing to come on such short notice. The King of Sindria wasted no energy hiding his excitement. Somehow he convinced me to go on an official date with him. Then another. And another. I really couldn't tell you how it happened, but it all seemed to happen so fast. I didn't even have the time to decide if I was alright with any of it. All I knew was that one day a very rich couple that had been causing problems in Balbaad had come to Sindria for discussions. Naturally, Sinbad had introduced himself first. "I'm Sinbad, king of Sindria. And this," he had held out his hand for mine. While I'd been confused the generals had urged me forward, and I took his hand when he pulled me into his side. "Is Hakuei Ren, my general and representative of Kou…

My girlfriend."

Was I his girlfriend?

I suppose so.

I just hadn't been made aware until then.

In the end, that day had been full of surprises. Sinbad had invited me to come to the meeting which surprised me. I may have been a new member of Sindria's generals, but I was still fairly new. Regardless I had followed Jafar to the meeting room, standing next to Masrur automatically. It didn't seem right to sit down when the other generals, Masrur, Hinahoho and Jafar, were all standing. But when he saw me stand Jafar had sent me to the couch. "He'd want you sitting next to him." I hadn't known what he meant by that, but I sat next to the king anyway. Sinbad didn't show any reaction, but his hand had reached out and taken mine.

Why did I give him my hand?

At first it had seemed like any regular meeting. He discussed with the couple their plans of bringing their business into Balbaad. The two had been normal for those who were rich, boisterous and the belief that they knew everything. I'd dealt with the kind before, so I was able to easily keep my cool. Sinbad also remained calm despite their boasting. That is, until they finally asked why Sinbad had wanted to speak to them.

They'd been expectant, as if they were to receive good news. Now, I feel sorry for them.

"You said your business was merchandise, correct? Things such as clothes, decorations, trinkets?"

"Ah yes! Our company sells many things!" the man's wife had replied cheerfully. "Do you have any questions?" Sinbad didn't ask a question. His reply was a statement not a question. One that I in fact hadn't wanted to hear.

"You're sales pitch neglected to mention," King Sinbad had replied, "That the merchandise was made by slaves."

I remember how cold it had gotten in the room after that. I'll be honest and say I don't remember all of what happened next. The couple had tried to make excuses, tried to explain that they weren't actually bringing slaves into Balbaad, but Sinbad would listen to none of it. "How dare you try and bring slaves into the country of my teacher," Sinbad's voice had been low, dangerous. He'd gone from a fellow merchant to a terrifying assassin in seconds. "This will not go unpunished."

So he told them of a few changes he'd made. He'd revealed to Balbaad the truth about the business, and the company had been denied access that morning. He also mentioned that with the illegal movement of slaves either they would have to pay for the freedom of every slave or pay them as they would regular workers. Two things that no matter how rich, the couple would not have enough money in a million years. But Sinbad had prepared for that as well. As we had spoken their possessions had been sold off to the highest bidder, yet that still hadn't been enough. There were few countries that were still allowed to have slaves. But Sinbad had found one.

The couple were supposed to report to their new master the next morning.

I remember they had begged. They had pleaded with King Sinbad for mercy, but he hadn't listened to a word. I'd watched, slightly horrified as the guards had dragged the couple out of the room, their screaming echoing through the halls until they were gone. Forever I suppose. The other generals had left close behind to make sure they didn't cause any problems. That left the king and me alone. "Well, now that that's over," King Sinbad had stretched out his arms as he turned back to face me. "Let's not waste the day. How about we get something to eat? Or go sailing?" He spoke so casually, a smile tracing his lips. There was no guilt behind it. No regret either. It was as if it was a normal meeting for him.

Perhaps it was.

"K…King Sinbad…"

"Oh love, please," Sinbad had taken my hand again, a teasing tone in his voice. "Just Sinbad. You know I hate the formalities." I'd been a little stunned because of the performance, and it took me some time to respond again. At least I can say with confidence the second time I was more sure of myself.

"Sinbad, don't you think that was extreme?"

Sinbad had tilted his head to the side as he helped me to my feet. "Extreme?"

"I know that keeping slaves is wrong, but making them slaves? Isn't that…unnecessary?"

"On the contrary dear Hakuei," Sinbad had argued, his regular smile beginning to send coils of nerves up my stomach. "It was the logical reaction. I had to make sure they wouldn't try to do the same thing again. One way or another they were going to be punished. Why would sending them to prison be any different?" I hadn't agreed. I know I hadn't. I'd wanted to argue that at least prisons were safer, they went through the proper legal channels. And more than that, it just wasn't right. It wasn't what a good man would do. But I hadn't even gotten a chance to speak up. "Let's not talk about them anymore," Sinbad had advised, kissing my forehead softly. "Let's go visit Pisti over in the forests. It's quite a beautiful day!"

And he's never spoken about it since.

Why hadn't I known?

That may have been the first time I'd noticed, but it wasn't the last time it happened. As I got more involved in Sindria's politics I saw the little tricks he did. Little tricks that would account for a lot more than just a few extra coins or a small piece of power in Sinbad's favour. He used the threat of a man's livelihood in order to convince him to sell his goods to Sindria. Another time he refused to give a father the antidote for his child unless he revealed a secret weapon the Laem Empire had been building. And there were more. There were many sacrifices, dangerous methods he used to get what he wanted. Each of them was more horrifying than the last.

Somehow, every time he was able to justify it to me. "It was for the good of the country." "We have to be ready to defend ourselves no matter the cost." "There's never a black or white Hakuei, I'm just doing what needs to be done." "Wouldn't you do the same if you country was at stake? If your brother was in danger." I couldn't' argue back. I didn't know how to. He always fought against my questions with a carefully prepared answer. At times it made me feel helpless.

What worried me was that he didn't bother to justify the meetings I didn't know about.

And that fact that there were times during the meetings I was truly glad not to be on Sinbad's bad side.

His friends did not make the problem any better. I don't know when I noticed what was wrong with it. His friends would tell him what he was doing was wrong. That he had become a bad man, too greedy for his own good. That his dark ambitious and selfish ways to get what he wanted would one day come back to haunt him. How the methods he used were not right, that what he was doing was wrong. But that was it. They told him, nothing more.

No matter how he changed, how dark his passions became or how careless he was with his actions, they would stay. Their loyalty was to be admired, I would admit. But it was a problem. There were no consequences. Even if he grew to become a monster, they would stay with him till the end. He had no reason not to change. He could do whatever he wanted. And that was dangerous.

For a man with nothing to hold him back, no consequences for his actions, is the most dangerous man of them all.

There was one time I'd really had enough. I honestly don't even remember what he'd done. Something about a man who had been a scientist being forced to serve under his own creations. His creations of no souls who planned to torture the man as they pleased. "Sinbad! Don't you think this is enough?" Sinbad hadn't even turned to face me as he'd readjusted his cloak. The man had managed to grab him before Masrur had torn him away.

"Enough?" Sinbad had replied. He'd turned to face me. He did not look surprised, not at all. But he didn't look happy either. "What do you mean enough?"

"They are still people! Bad people but people! What you are doing is too harsh!" Obviously the king did not agree. He went ahead, starting to sort his papers that had gone flying by piling them back on the desk. I'd huffed in exasperation I remember. "Who are you to judge what their punishment should be?"

He'd nearly laughed. "Who am I to judge? I'm the king. That is my job."

"But you're still a human Sinbad. You're starting to act like…like…" I had hesitated. Why had I hesitated? That's an interesting question. Maybe it was because I couldn't think of an example, that I'd started my sentence without planning out the answer. Truth was, I wasn't sure I wanted to admit what I was thinking.

"Like what?" King Sinbad edged me on, impatient for my answer. "A leader? A hero able to make the choices others are too afraid to face? A great man?"

A great man. Maybe. But I'd never wanted a great man. I wanted a good one.

"…Like you believe you are a god." The silence that had rested over the room after my statement felt like lead. Strong, impossible to ignore, yet you did your best. It was heavy in the room as the weight of my words clouded our thoughts. I personally thought that had been the end of the conversation. But it took Sinbad less time than I would have liked to respond.

"…Perhaps that isn't such a bad idea."

"What?"

"Hakuei, think about it," he'd turned to me earnestly. No longer annoyed, instead genuine excitement, and perhaps some desperation for me to understand. "I'm the first class singularity, conqueror of 7 dungeons. I built my country with my own two hands, I've conquered heights that others would not dare to look at. What better man to be a king? Who else could even be strong enough to make the decisions I must?" I think my mouth had dropped open in shock. I hadn't been able to believe what I was hearing.

"You…You're still human Sinbad!

But he had shook his head defiantly. "I stand higher than then Hakuei. I may be the only human who truly has the right to judge the guilty."

"But these methods-"

"Are necessary if I want to destroy the evil before it passes."

It was my turn to shake my head and object. "No! No they aren't!" It was my turn to speak with earnest, with a desperation for him to understand. "Sinbad these aren't necessary, these are cruel and inhuman! You can't cover it up with pretty words to defend what's really going on."

"Cover it up?" he looked vaguely confused, staring at me as if it was the first time he'd seen me. "What am I trying to cover up? Hakuei, you know that these people are evil and need to be stopped."

"I know, but Sinbad, these methods…Just taking away the fact that it's debatable whether the punishment fits the crime, the fact that you are doing all this without even a second thought concerns me!" He'd paused at my words. I had hoped it meant he was taking me seriously and beginning to consider my words. But instead it was a cheerful smile that graced his lips.

"While I'm touched you're worried about me," Sinbad had taken my hands in his with that same smile on his face, "It is really unnecessary in this case."

His smile did not fade when I yanked my hands away. "I'm worried what kind of man you would have to be to give these punishments without a second thought."

"I've already told you," That time he sounded frustrated, annoyed I could not come to the same conclusion he had. "I'm a great man. I'm the great man that will stop the bad ones."

Maybe I was just too stubborn for my own good, but I sent a glare as cold as ice in his direction. "Not everything is black and white Sinbad."

"Exactly. Which means that the answers may not be so pretty either." He paid no mind to the glare and continued to look at me as if I was the only thing he would ever love. "If I want to truly rid the world of evil, I may have to dirty my own hands to do it."

"But what will happen when you become the only dirty thing in the world?" Even I could hear the pleading tone that had come into my voice. I had been desperate for him to understand my side, to at least consider that his high road was not the proper path to take.

But there was nothing. He didn't even blink. "I won't be. Because I know what I've done is all because it must be done."

"But Sinbad,"

"Hakuei, please understand." He closed the distance between eyes, which had forced me to tilt my head up so I could stare into his eyes. There was a determination that I had seen before, but under different circumstances. "It's not that I WANT to do all these things. I don't wish the world was like this, but the fact is that the world has problems. If I want to make the world a better place I have to deal with the darkest parts of the world as well. I need to face all of this so I can stop it. I don't care if I have to fall myself if it means making the world a better place. You yourself have told me that you would sacrifice your own morals if it meant keeping your brother safe.

That's one reason I like you Hakuei." I had been so surprised by the turn of conversation I hadn't noticed when he'd taken my hands in his. He continued to stare at me with those loving eyes, admiring me for traits I was ashamed of. "You may not see it, but I know deep down you agree with me. I know I can count on you to do the same if necessary. If your family were in danger, you'd do whatever it took to keep them safe, even if those methods were less then ethical. And I want you to know that I'd do the same for you. I'd do whatever it took to keep you standing here next to me."

Whatever it took.

Whatever it took.

That had been my clue. That had been my key.

He would do whatever it took to help me. He would force people into slavery. He would blackmail them into giving over everything they had worked for. He'd force a creator to be killed by his own creations.

He'd destroy anyone who threatened my reputation.

"I don't expect you to understand right now," Sinbad had assured me with what I'm sure he meant to be a kind smile. "But you're very intelligent. I'm sure, in time, you'll understand." He'd walked away to continue cleaning his office as if nothing was wrong. As if nothing had changed. For him, I suppose nothing had changed. But for me it had. I didn't want to know what he wanted to know. I wasn't sure I'd be able to. Still not sure. Whatever Sinbad's focus, whatever his warped sense of justice was, I didn't think I would come to understand it.

But I'd come to understand one thing.

"Sin…" he turned to face me once again. He always paid attention when I called him Sin since he loved it when I was informal with him. I'm not sure why I called him Sin. Perhaps I wanted to humanize him, make it less likely that my growing fears were real.

"Sin, the boat crash…Was…was it really an accident?"

Sinbad had not replied.

"Meet me for dinner later," was all he told me. "You must be starving!" He'd laughed, then muttered something about me missing my lunch. He was right, but I don't think it would have mattered. I hadn't been in the mood to eat dinner that night anyway.

What scares me now, but didn't scare me then? Normally he asked me if I wanted to eat a meal with him. That time, it had been an order.

I couldn't do it. I didn't want to continue with it all, to work with a man who could do whatever he wanted with no consequence. Maybe I had come to love him in the time we spent together, but that didn't mean I was blind. I wouldn't sacrifice my soul for what he thought was right when I knew it was wrong. If nothing else but for his sake. Someone had to show him that what he was doing wasn't right. I couldn't let him get away with no consequences.

So I gave him my own. I decided to give him a consequence, just one. I wasn't even sure if he would listen, or if he'd even care. Maybe a part of me wanted to be assured that he was still a good man, that perhaps he'd just made a few mistakes like anyone would. That if faced with consequences he'd realize his mistakes and try to fix them like a good man.

But the king wasn't a good man. He was a great one.

I hadn't known how valuable a good man had been before I met him.

So I told him I'd leave. I can't remember exactly what I had said the day after we'd had that argument, but I'm sure it had made an impression. My speech was something along the lines of how I couldn't stop him from doing as he liked, but that didn't mean I had to help him. I had my own life, and I wouldn't lead it following plans and methods that I didn't agree with. I said I didn't want to, that I wanted to help with his original goal of making the world a better place, but if his true goal became entirely selfish and if he didn't see his own mistakes, I would leave. I'd pack up my bags and go find somewhere else to stay. Because if I didn't, who would? I was the only one not bound by history or moral obligations to stay with him.

I remember the shock written on his face, the shear disbelief accompanied by the growing realization that I was telling the truth. He certainly hadn't known. I remember leaving his throne room without waiting for his response. Simply because I had known he hadn't been able to come up with one.

Maybe I was being rather selfish. Maybe I do need to work on my loyalty skills. But at the time it had seemed like the right thing to do. It was my life, and I wouldn't live it by only his rules. And whether he knew it or not, he needed to feel loss. I had no doubt he'd felt it in the past, probably many times. But in the time I'd known him I could recognize that he'd gained too much, he'd become too powerful. I wouldn't be a part of his plans. Another pawn to do with as he liked simply because he thought he could. Besides, at the time, I hadn't believed I was that important to him. I wasn't even sure if my speech would bother him at all. But I had to make my own decision. For my life if nothing else.

To this day I don't know who exactly he told about my ultimatum. The generals did not treat me differently after I had talked to their king. They only showed signs of confusion when they caught the thoughtful looks their king sent me when he thought I wasn't looking. That was all he had done though. He looked thoughtful. As if every time I passed what I said returned and he ran through every word carefully in his mind. A part of me truly hoped that he would make the right choice and stop. At least he had taken the time to consider my words.

At least, that was what I had thought he was doing.

Instead whenever he looked thoughtful when he saw me it was because he was coming up with his own plan.

By then I should have known.

But I only figured it out when it was too late.

One day after I'd almost forgotten about our conversation I noticed things were different. There were whispers as I walked past and a few people staring at me when my back was turned. Normally I could have just ignored it, having grown up with the occasional stare and whispers. However that time there were more whispers than I had been used to. And it was more than that. None of the whispers were…bad.

When there was ugly rumours going around, they would carefully avoid my eye or laugh when I leave. But that time, no one avoided my gaze when I turned to them. Most actually smiled at me. Some waved at me as I had passed. I was confused, but I hadn't seen a problem with it. I'd only started to grow concerned when one of the servants had come up to me and congratulated me. "Oh congratulations dear," She'd cooed, a group of other female servants giggling behind her. "I'm sure everything will work out!"

"What will work out?" I'd asked her, but she and the others had rushed away before I could get an answer. I had still been confused as I'd walked through the hallways of Sindria on my way to meet Yamu in her lab. As servants and soldiers passed I got many more congratulations, many of which I was too confused to do anything but say thank you. When I get to the lab I had been bursting with questions.

My greeting to the lab hadn't been any better. The minute I'd stepped through the door I was jumped by a small blond-haired women. "Hakueiiiii how could you!" When I finally regained my balance she had jumped to the floor and was stomping angrily. "Of course I'm happy for you but how could you not invite me?"

"I-Invite you?" I'd been so shocked by the attack I could barely process her words.

"I mean, I know you two probably wanted to keep it quiet from your country and all, but does that mean you couldn't have had a little celebration? Maybe a small gathering of friends? I certainly hope you decide to redo it, because just a signing of documents is definitely not enough if you ask me,"

"What are you talking about?" I'd interrupted her. I remember that specifically because the younger women had been momentarily silenced in her surprise.

That obviously did not last long. "I'm talking about your wedding obviously! I'm so hurt you wouldn't invite me by the way?"

"My…What?" Her words hadn't gotten through. I had no idea what had been happening, and what Pisti thought was an explanation just made it worse. A wedding? Whose wedding? Who had gotten married? I wasn't getting married. So who had?

"Your wedding," Yamu had peaked out from behind one of the tables, face hidden behind a pair of goggles. "Everyone's talking about it! How you and Sinbad got married in secret weeks ago! I don't know how it got out Hakuei, but congratulations!"

We had what?

"It explains why Sinbad has been acting so weird the past few weeks," Pisti had teased, poking my side as if she thought I would laugh. "I'd thought you two were fighting about something, but looks like things were a whole lot better than I'd thought! You must have been working real hard to keep it a secret but don't bother to deny it now! We all know the truth!" A few weeks ago? A few weeks ago from that day I'd given him my ultimatum. I certainly do not remember signing any marriage certificate!

"We…we aren't married!" I'd blurted, shocking the two generals into silence. Pisti had crossed her arms while Yamu had shook her head. Obviously the two women had not believed me. "I-It's the truth! I never signed such a thing, we actually were fighting recently! Where did you hear such a thing?"

Yamu had frowned, her own suspicions started to rise when she saw my reaction to the news. But Pisti on the other hand had shrugged carelessly. "Yeah right Hakuei. Don't act so embarrassed and blushy. There's no need to be hide it anymore!'

'Sinbad told me himself!"

That was when I became legitimately afraid that something was wrong.

All things considered, I am impressed by how calmly I was able to walk to Sinbad's office. Of course my mind had been reeling and I'll admit my pace may have been a bit quicker than normal, but considering the situation I was still proud of myself. I may have lost a little control when I'd marched past the guards and forced the doors from Sinbad's office room to swing open. "Sinbad! What is going on?" two faces had popped up to greet me. Jafar who was standing closest to me, had been hunched over the desk helping Sinbad look over some papers. Sinbad of course, was reclined in his chair, showing the regular distain for the work laid out in front of him.

When his eyes met mine, I remembering shivering at the look of triumph in his.

"Hakuei!" Jafar had run over to me with a genuine smile on my face. Looking back I actually feel bad for him. His face had been more joyful than the time he'd drunken too much wine. Maybe he'd thought that his king getting married was a good sign. Maybe, like me, he'd been searching for ways to see Sinbad's light break through the grey cloud. Before I had been able to say a word, he'd handed me three statues. "I'm sorry I didn't know about this until now, but congratulations! The first statue is a blessing for fertility, the second one is,"

"We aren't married."

"I…What?" Jafar's face had fell instantly, confusion replacing his expression. He'd stared at me for a long time, trying to gauge the truth from my words. Then when he realized I was being honest he had turned to Sinbad, a growing realization forming in his mind. "Then…Why…?" Sinbad hadn't given Jafar an answer.

Instead he'd silently pushed the papers to the side, sorting them in a neat pile on the corner. "Jafar. Could you leave Hakuei and me alone for a while? We have some…important pieces of our future to talk about." Jafar had stood there, stunned for a moment. My heart went out to him when his regular, gloomy expression of defeat he got when Sinbad showed his dark side emerged. Jafar had mumbled a quick goodbye, then left the room without a word. I was not encouraged by the look of pity and encouragement he shot my way before he left.

When he was gone, Sinbad had finally stirred from his resting place. "I take it you've heard the rumours?" There was a hint of humour in his tone that must have annoyed me even more. I remember my reply had been a bit too quick.

"Rumours that apparently you started." For a moment he didn't reply. "Do you deny it?"

"No," Sinbad had replied instantly. In fact, I remember there was a smile on his face. The same smile he used in business meetings. _You can never punch a smiling man in the face,_ he had told me before. I hadn't come into his office expecting a political conversation. "I have no reason to."

"We aren't married."

"We may as well be."

"What? Why?" I remember I had tried searching for my memories, trying to find anything that could have made the connection to his words. "We are only dating! Why would you even spread these rumours? I thought you never wanted to get married!"

"Oh Hakuei," Sinbad's smile was sympathetic, odd considering the situation we were in. "Haven't I told you that you are the exception to many of my rules?" He had. One night when we had been particularly vulnerable towards each other. He'd taken me to dinner on the roof of one of the buildings and we'd stayed there staring at the stars. He'd told me stories about his adventures, more specifically the darker, less heroic moments he'd come to hide. I'd revealed different times I myself had made mistakes as a general, some mistakes that had cost others' lives. How at times I worried if I wasn't leading my people the way my brothers would have been proud of.

I had started to regret that honesty.

He'd walked around his desk to me, and I had thought he was going to walk to me. Instead he'd headed over to the window. More specifically, the eye of the rukh that he'd rested on his windowsill. I remember being confused, wondering if he was expecting me to contact someone. Instead when he tossed me the little ball, his words sent a chill down my spine. "Considering the message I got this morning, I'd say your family back at Kou already know. They may want to talk to you soon, so I think you should hold onto that."

"WHAT?" I remember being terrified by the idea. My country would not take such a thing lightly, I was certain. If they had heard even the rumour that I was married, they would consider it truth. I'd be considered a Sindrian citizen and while my position as Kou's representative may have remained intact, my position as general of Kou would be compromised. My power would be stripped. "Why did you do that? How could you tell them such a thing?" Sinbad shrugged, but I shivered at the action. At the moment I hadn't known why. I can't remember when I started to fear the king, but that was the day I truly had come to realize that fear.

"I thought it was important for them to know."

"Why? We aren't really married!"

"But things were heading that way, weren't they?"

"N-no, not yet! I mean, I don' know but,"

"You were the one who getting ready anyway," Sinbad had taken his position right in front of me. I hadn't been able to look up, focused on the reflection of my own face staring back at me in the glass orb. It wasn't hard to guess the smug look Sinbad was trying to hide when he leaned against his desk, arms crossed in front of his chest. "Don't you remember? You gave your power to the tribes you allied with. You may as well have prepared for this all to happen before hand. With that kind of situation, is it really hard to believe your country would jump to this conclusion?"

"I-I did that because I didn't want them taken advantage of while I was away!"

"That's one way to look at it," Sinbad had mused, tilting his head to the side. "On the other hand, considering the situation, more people might look at it from my angle." I must have been staring at him. Sinbad had given me a smile, one that on the surface area was comforting, but I'd known him better. I'd been able to spot the look of triumph on his face. "Is it really a problem Hakuei? We were going to get married anyway, this would have all happened then. So what difference does this make?" One of his hands had rested on my arm affectionately.

A motion that had used to be filled with comfort at the time felt like needles against my skin. At the touch I'd yanked away from him. I'm sure my eyes were wide with realization and a growing fear. "N-no, not yet! I wasn't sure, I wasn't even sure I'd be able to choose! I-I was going to leave, go back to Kou…"

"Well," Sinbad's eyes had twinkled, his victory shining in his eyes. "I suppose you can't leave now, can you?"

That was it. That was the moment I realized what was going on. During the past few weeks he hadn't been debating my words, he'd been planning. The whole situation, the rumours, causing what would soon be myself being stripped of my status as general of Kou, was all because I'd threatened to leave him. I'd said if I didn't like what he continued to do, I wouldn't stay. But I no longer had that option.

I'd seen him use darker methods to get what he wanted before that day. Over time I'd started to fear that look in his eyes when he was in a meeting I knew one side would not walk away satisfied. I'd tried to assure myself that I had no reason to worry, that in time he would stop. More than anything I'd never considered that he'd use those means against me.

But apparently I'd become something he decided was too important to let go.

"I've decided I want you by my side Hakuei," he admitted, not bothering with the pretense of ignorance anymore. His smile had lowered, instead revealing the seriousness of the situation. "You know I'm a greedy man. Why would I ever let go of what I want?"

I hadn't replied. I hadn't even considered such a thing. When I had given him that plan, I thought he would leave it at that. I had thought if I wanted to go, he would let me go. I'd never considered that he would care so much if I had left. I hadn't even be sure he would have cared at all. I'd thought he'd care about my own thoughts enough to let me make my own decision. I hadn't realized his greed overpowered that. Shaking my head desperately I did all I could to resist. "I'll leave anyway! I just won't go back to Kou."

"Oh?" He crossed his arms as a teasing smirk traced his lips. He placated me as if he was speaking to a child. "Where will you go?"

"Somewhere," I'd been annoyed at the vagueness of my answer. "It does not matter."

"How do you expect to help the people you promised your brothers to protect if you disappear? You'll have no power if you just go 'somewhere.'" Again I regretted being so honest with him.

"My ancestors built our country up from nothing. If I have to build my power back from nothing then I will."

"How? Where will you go that you could possibly do such a thing?"

"I'll…go somewhere no one will recognize me."

"And how do you expect to do that?" That time he got to his feet. Slowly he circled me, making sure his presence was known, marking himself as the hunter and myself as the prey. The dominant vs the submissive. The one in control vs the one who was being controlled. "You aren't just general Hakuei, princess of the Kou Empire and daughter of their most honoured king. Now you're general Hakuei of Sindria, lover of King Sinbad of the seven seas. My influence goes further than you'd expect Hakuei. I've claimed you as my own, and that makes you much more interesting than you were before. In case you haven't noticed, you're famous. Considering my reputation and your own combined, how many places are there in the world that you expect to find solitude? And even if you could, say you could find a land where no one had heard of your name or knew of your face. How do you expect to help anyone from there? How will you ensure that I don't go back on my word and retract the treaty with your country? Your country and mine may have similar forces, but we both know there will be heavy losses on both sides. Will you be able to bear that from wherever you decide to hide from me? Your own monster?" He'd stopped directly in front of me. We were standing so close I don't remember if our feet were touching or not. At that time I had refused to make eye contact as I tried to focus on his words. When he spoke he used one hand to gently tip my chin up, forcing my eyes to lock with his.

"I'm not a monster Hakuei. But if you want to make me your monster, I will act like one.

"So you decide Hakuei," He'd ordered, pulling away. "Either you leave Sindria and Kou to try and find a place where I won't find you and potentially start the very war you wanted to avoid. Or you stay here with me as my queen." Just like when we'd first met, he held out his hand. Except that time it was with his palm up, waiting for me to take his hand and for it to stay there. For me to not pull away but hold his hand for as long as he pleased. "Is there really a debate?"

He was right. There was no debate.

What the worst part was? He hadn't seen it. He thought he was doing the right thing, being a hero. Stopping me from making a mistake that I would come to regret.

He couldn't see the kind of man he'd become. A great man.

But not a good one.

His friends hadn't liked it. I could see it in their eyes when he told them of his plan. Their slipping confidence was written on their faces, including their distaste for his plan. Yet, they still stayed. Just like they had promised they would. We were officially married within the week, though Pisti still insisted on having a proper ceremony. For a few months we planned a proper wedding, including my family and friends and various traditions from both cultures. Sinbad had been kind, comforting, just like the man I'd come to fall in love with. But I couldn't avoid the other man. The great man that sent chills down my spine. The great man who loved me but I could not hide from. The great man who I loved, but was ashamed to stay with. Somehow I never stopped loving him. But I knew I shouldn't have stayed with him. I always hoped that someday, if I was very lucky, he would become a good man.

That was the man I am married to.

I hadn't known. I really hadn't know.

What kind of man he was. How far he would fall for his own dark ambitions. The plans he would take that would make my own stomach curl, that would make me question everything I had known to be good and true. I hadn't known how truly selfish and greedy the man I'd started to follow had become. And I especially hadn't known just how terrible the man I thought I could trust would become.

How the king of the world would never show his true sides as a monster.

But I hadn't know.

I hadn't known?

Well, that's my worst fear in all this.

That perhaps the whole time, I had known.


	14. Chapter 14 GenderSwap Part 2

Gender Bent Part 2.

 **So it is Valentine's Day and I thought I should post something for it. Life has…actually, lately I've had things happening in my personal life that have actually frightened me so I thought a simple feel-good story would be fun. So back by popular demand, here's gender bent part 2.**

"Great," Hakuei bit his lip when he saw his reflection in the window. "Next time I go to a party, I'll bring an extra shirt."

Thanks to Kouleries drunken anger, Hakuei's white shirt had a huge pink blotch going from one shoulder to the middle. Hakuei himself wasn't that much better, with wine dripping from his hair and a few splashes still on his face. He'd gotten most of it out of his eyes, but some traces still lingered. "So much for looking professional."

Kouha whisked off a flask of dirt on his shoulder. "It doesn't look that bad. Get another glass and I can make it look like a pattern. Some kind of…we'll say it's a foreign animal that no one here has heard of." Hakuei smirked at that. They were in the kingdom of a queen who was famous for literally traveling all of the seven seas.

Pushing his cousin away, he did his best to straighten his shirt. "It's fine. I'll manage. I'll just have to wear the jacket I brought." As he put it on, he decided not to mention that he was boiling inside of it. "I'm not one of the princes that can be chosen by the queen anyway, so my looks don't matter. As long as I can…somehow manage to make my brothers look better, it will be alright. Besides, I'll probably just get messier as the night goes on." After a pause, he turned back to Kouha. "How long do parties like this last, anyway?"

"Sindrian parties are known to last till the sun comes out." Hakuei saw his life flash before his eyes.

"Joy," He murmured as he accepted his defeat. "Where's Hakuryuu? I should go see how she is doing." Kouha shrugged carelessly.

"I don't know. She didn't want to come to the party, remember? Such a buzzkill." Hakuei wasn't about to say that, but he decided it was best not to argue with her.

Instead he went searching for his little sister. When he found her, she didn't seem to think the party was as 'rad' as Kouha did. She was leaning against a wall with a drink in her hand, pretending to be fascinated with some of the dancers. Hakuei suspected that the specific word for her attitude was called 'brooding.' Hakuryuu glanced up at him as he took a place next to her. "Finally gotten a break then?"

Hakuei raised his eyebrows. "A break?"

She tipped her glass to the dance floor. "From trying to make our cousins not look like the bumbling idiots we all know they are." Hakuei gnawed on his lip so he wouldn't reprimand his sister too harshly. She ignored his reaction, glowering at the dance floor where one brother was trying to flirt with two dancers and another was doing a terrible time of holding his alcohol. Hakuei cringed at the sight.

"Give them a chance," Hakuei urged her with a gentle smile. "I know they may not be…very princely. But they aren't used to this life yet. Kouen, Kouha, Kougyoku and Koumei have done a good job with their new positions. The other 6 princes will just take more time."

Hakuryuu scoffed. She couldn't decide if her brother was oblivious or purposefully ignoring the facts. "They've been given time. Years in fact, yet they still act like children who think they are free to do whatever they want and are entitled to whatever they want. Are they really the kind of people we can trust to lead our country?" On instinct he opened his mouth to object. He worried for his life when he nothing reasonable came out. It was considered treason to disgrace the king so openly, and he doubted his brothers would see it as anything but.

"You should be in charge of our country. Not them."

Hakuei's eyes widened. He wished he hadn't heard her right. Or that she would laugh and say, 'got you didn't I?' But Hakuryuu stood perfectly poised, not a shred of doubt touching her face. He eyes boiled with a newfound hatred, tempted to allow the brothers to disgrace themselves and face the consequences on their own. "Sister...Don't talk about them like that," he pleaded, but Hakuryuu would have none of it. "They are our family still."

Hakuryuu shook her head. "The only family I've ever had other than you died in that fire."

"Haku-"

He didn't get the chance to finish when a shout crossed the room. Both siblings looked up and spotted a girl with long white hair arguing with a man that had short red hair. Hakuei groaned. _Why now?_ "Hakuryuu, I'll be-"

"Go ahead," She interrupted. Hakuryuu refused to meet her brother's gaze. "Just continue to prove me right."

"Hakuryuu, that's not," But another shout interrupted him. He cursed before he sped off into the fray, leaving Hakuryuu with a false sense of victory.

Hakuei barely got there in time before Kourena's fist connected with the face of another prince. With a slight hiss he grabbed his wrist before hid could connect and yanked him backwards. Kourena was thrown off balance and scrambled to stand. "Hey!" Hakuei knew from the fire in his eyes he would have to answer for that later.

Instead he took his momentary confusion to turn and give a quick bow to the women and prince in front of him. "I apologize for my brother's attitude. Whatever the disagreement he shouldn't have tried to attack you. I take full responsibility for his actions." For a moment the two opposing forces were conflicted between anger and confusion. After the initial emotions passed the shorter one responded.

"Its fine," the women with white hair and up close, more freckles than Hakuei had originally thought. "It was…just a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding!" the man with light blue hair spun on his heal to face Kourena. He pointed what looked like a magician's staff at him accusingly. "That jerk just insulted Jafar's position! He should be kicked out!" Hakuei resisted the urge to groan. That had to be the third time one of his siblings had been threatened to be thrown out. Hakuei was almost tempted to let them.

The women turned to scowl at the man behind her. "Yamu, its fine. You heard him, he'll deal with it."

"But he,"

Jafar held up a hand, instantly silencing Yamu. Hakuei bowed with gratitude once again before grabbing his brother by the wrist and pulling him away. Might as well get him as far away from those two. The man looked like he wasn't above cold blooded murder.

When they were a safe distance away, Hakuei let go. Only to have to duck to avoid his brothers swinging fist. "You brat! What exactly do you think you were doing?" Hakuei cursed under his breath with frustration. Stopping his brothers from fighting was one thing. Dealing with the aftermath of said argument was another.

"Control yourself!" Hakuei managed to dodge the second punch. In his own anger he grabbed a fistful of his brother's cloak and yanked him up to face him. "We are guests here! You can't just go insulting others for your own enjoyment!" Kourena gnashed his teeth together. _Oh boy, here we go._

"You're the fool! I was trying to look tough in front of that women! Don't you know anything about keeping up appearances?" HE didn't know anything about keeping up appearances? Because impressing a girl by picking a fight with a girl and boy made SO much sense. Hakuei resisted the urge to throw his hands up in exasperation.

"Keeping up appearances and causing a scene are two different things!" Hakuei argued back, struggling not to yell. After what felt like hours of running from prince to prince he was absolutely exhausted. His patience was beginning to wear thin.

Kourena either didn't notice or did notice and didn't care. "Look, you can go ahead and only care about your little army and some small tribes, but I plan on dating whoever the heck I want." Hakuei's scowl struggled not to grow into a growl. Something had to change. He knew he wouldn't survive the night if he didn't get something through to his brothers.

"Is all this fighting really necessary!"

"WHAT?" Hakuei exclaimed, spinning his head over his shoulder to spot out the intruder. A women with dark purple hair wearing a gold and white dress with various necklaces and bracelets stared at him with wide eyes. Hakuei immediately regretted yelling when he saw it wasn't at his brother. "U-um…I apologize ma'am. I didn't mean to yell. If you don't mind, I'm trying to talk to my…" He trailed off when he looked back and caught the wide eyed stare his brother was giving the women.

"Y-you…" his brothers eyes were wide, staring at the women in awe. Vaguely Hakuei remembered he had said he had been trying to impress a women. Apparently it had worked. Go figure.

"I'm sorry ma'am," Hakuei apologized again, not looking back at her as he glared at his brother who was ignoring him. "You can speak to my brother in a moment, but I need to talk to him for a moment." Kourena's eyes flashed back to him with distain. Hakuei's eyes glared back at him with just as much fire.

"Oh, I don't want to talk to him," the women replied, pointedly ignoring the death stare going on between the two. "I came over to talk to you."

Hakuei blinked at that. Kourena's eyes widened in shock and obvious disbelief! "What? But he's not here for the party?" Under his breath he mumbled something about her playing hard to get. Hakuei decided not to say anything out loud, but he doubted that.

Turning he took the chance to examine the women closer. She had dark purple hair below her waist that was tied into a high pony-tail. The white dress framed with gold consisted of only a skirt and a short top that revealed her arms and mid-riff, with a gold transparent cloth around the centre. There was a purple cloth wrapped around her waist that went down the front and purple open sleeves on her shoulders. There was a small crown on her head along with various golden bracelets and other pieces of jewelry. Her skirt was loose yet form-fitting, just above the ankles so she could move easily. The most interesting piece was her eyes. Her eyes were beguiling, a shimmering gold to make any pirate greedy. Absolutely mesmerizing.

Yet an easy tool for a trap.

"I'm sorry," Hakuei apologized, clearly confused. "Who are you?"

Both the women and Kourena blanched in shock. "What?" Kourena yelled in Hakuei's ear, making him wince. "How can you say that? Don't you know who she is? She," He was cut off by, surprisingly, a wave of the women's hand. Oh, listen to a stranger sure, but him? Never. The women was watching Hakuei with a curious expression on her face as if studying her next prey.

"…You don't know who I am?"

Hakuei shook his head. "No. Should I?" Kourena tried to argue but one glare from the women shut him up.

"…This is your first time in Sindria isn't it?"

Hakuei nodded once again. "Yes ma'am." Hakuei couldn't figure out how to deal with the situation. Was she a member of the Sindrian court? One of the generals?

The women visibly winced at being called ma'am. "I see…Well, if I can borrow you for a few moments, I would like to speak to you." Her smile was wide and charming, easily gaining the attention of anyone around. Behind him, Kourena's mouth dropped open with shock while Hakuei tried to understand what was happening. She wanted to talk to him? Who was she? When she noticed Hakuei's hesitation, she hurried to add, "Oh, don't worry about your brother." With one wave of her hand a pair of Sindria soldiers stomped over to the group. "These two will handle him." _Definitely Sindrian_ , Hakuei decided. He remained dumbfounded as the two soldiers took away his equally befuddled brother. Part of him thought he ought to stop them, the other half couldn't even figure out what had just happened.

He didn't even realize it when the women slipped next to him with a smile on her face. "There. Now there's no problem right?" Hakuei turned to her and she bit her lip to hold back the laughter at his confusion. "Come on. There's a table by the bar. I'll ask them to bring us something to eat." Hakuei couldn't object when the women took him by the arm and started tugging him away.

"I…" Hakuei hesitated, clueless to what was even happening. "I need to be ready to manage my brothers…"

"Oh, don't worry about them." With one hand she waved to her guards who stood at attention. "I'll make sure the soldiers keep an eye on them if they get out of hand. Then there shouldn't be any problems, right?" Hakuei blinked, once again caught off guard. How much power did this women hold? When he realized she was waiting for his answer he nodded making her beam. "Perfect! Then let's go!" He allowed the women to lead him over to a table, barely managing to keep up in his confusion. IN the corner of his eye he spotted Kouha and Kougyoku staring at him with open-mouthed surprise. Even Hakuryuu who had managed to force herself to talk a seat next to them was staring at him in shock. Hakuei wondered just how much trouble he was in.

What was worse? He began to notice they weren't the only ones staring. As they walked through, many guests would stop their discussions to turn and watch them pass. A few of them stared at him, the majority stared at the women. A few of his brothers even turned to watch them pass. Whispers started as they went, but the only one that Hakuei caught was, 'she went out searching for him? She hasn't done that at all this evening!' Silently Hakuei begged that he wasn't making a big mistake by following the women where she took him.

Over at the side, Hakuei didn't notice the women with white hair watching them cautiously. "Sinbad…" She muttered under her breath. "What are you doing?"

Sinbad had to struggle to keep the smile of her face as she picked a specific table that was distanced from the others. "Would you like something to eat?" She waved to the servants to bring them food. When she turned back she was surprised to see Hakuei had pulled her chair out for her. "Oh, a gentleman are you?" Sinbad took careful note of that. Often gentlemen were particularly easy to bend, feeling it was polite to do as the women asked.

Hakuei shrugged, some confusion still on his face. "It just seemed polite. Is that not the case here?" Sinbad debated whether she should mention that some found it sexist, but decided against it. Hakuei didn't seem to have any ill-will in the action, nor any sign to show he believed it was anything more than the kind thing to do. Perhaps the man was a bit too innocent for his tastes.

"With the right intentions there is no issue," Sinbad finally stated, allowing Hakuei to push the chair in for her when she sat down. She watched him as he went around to his seat across from her then stare at her expectantly. His eyes were a bright blue, the colour of the ocean after a harsh storm. Despite his actions showing him to be a gentleman, there was a darkness in his eyes that said he'd seen more of the world than most.

That just made him all the more intriguing.

"So tell me," Sinbad leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and resting her chin in a net of her fingers. "You are Hakuei Ren, correct? From Kou? And this is your first time in Sindria?"

"Yes ma'am," Hakuei nodded while Sinbad fought back a wince. _Again with the ma'am. How old does he think I am? I doubt I'm much older than him!_ She was able to stomach her distain and keep a purposefully charming smile on her face.

"According to the files I've read," she explained, keeping a close eye on Hakuei to catch his reaction. "You are the only son of the previous emperor of Kou." Hakuei raised his eyebrow, no doubt wondering how she knew that. _Fine,_ Sinbad thought with a smile. _Let him wonder. Having the element of mystery gives me control._

"…Yes," Hakuei replied one again. "The previous emperor and my two eldest sisters died in a fire years ago. My younger sister and I survived, though my sister retained some scars from the ordeal." Sinbad had spotted the younger girl with scars across one side of her face when she had been passing. She thought the two of them had looked similar.

"So what are you here for," Sinbad purred with a velvety voice. "Want a chance at the throne of Sindria?" Hakuei almost laughed while shaking his head.

"No, I have no desire to leave my country. Besides, I am only the fourth prince, and my country wouldn't accept me being married before my step-brothers. They don't accept my father as the emperor since he is not originally from Kou." Sinbad hadn't been aware that when they said the previous emperor had passed away they had been talking about a female.

"The previous emperor was your mother?" She didn't bother to hide her surprise. "Kou doesn't strike me as a country famous for…it's gender equality." She was surprised when Hakuei turned bright red, actually embarrassed by the reality of his country.

"We…They didn't have any brothers that I know of, so the council couldn't argue." _But would YOU have argued is what I want to know,_ Sinbad thought. However she kept her mouth shut, deciding to observe rather than interfere. Hakuei remained silent for a moment, mulling over the reality of their country.

To Sinbad's glee, he eventually sighed. "A part of me wishes they learned from that. My mother and elder sisters were some of the greatest leaders our country has seen. Yet once my aunt passes away it won't be general Kouen or Koumei who takes their place but…" he waved one hand towards the floor where his siblings had been. "One of my brothers."

A silence passed over them when the food was brought to their table. Sinbad took the opportunity to allow the information to sink in. According to him his…he assumed cousins, Kouen and Koumei were good leaders. And generals, which meant they had some military power. From how he judged his male cousins she doubted they would be much of a threat. Logically speaking, from what Sinbad had seen of the family during the party Hakuei would have been the most logical leader if family lines hadn't meant so much to them. The man across from her was intelligent, she doubted the thought hadn't occurred to him before. "…What of you?" She asked after the servants had left. "Couldn't you take over as king?"

Hakuei's eyes widened with shock that Sinbad found delightfully adorable. For a man who obviously was capable of taking care of himself and was aware of his responsibility she found delight at the look on his face when he was caught off-guard. "You're actually the second person who asked me that today," he mumbled, more to himself than her. Sinbad sensed an edge to his tone and wondered who had mentioned that.

Sinbad leaned forward into the table, cocking her head to the side to capture his attention. "Well? Do you have the desire to be a king?" Sinbad hoped he didn't imagine the light gulp from Hakuei. He leaned backwards, grabbing a glass of water to take a quick drink. The smile on her mouth tilted up when Hakuei took longer than necessary to collect himself.

"I-I have no desire to become king," he admitted. "My role is as general, and that is what I want. Being a king would…put me in the spotlight. I'd rather operate under the radar, getting work done where no one can see me." Sinbad frowned, unable to relate to his reasoning's. Sinbad flourished in the spotlight, it was where she could do her best work. The man in front of her proposed an opposite solution she'd never wanted to consider.

Yet the man continued to intrigue her.

"So what do you think of Sindria?" She offered with a playful tone, trying to keep the tone light and keep the boy comfortable. "No, wait…what do you think of Sinbad?"

Hakuei blinked in surprise. "Queen Sinbad? I haven't met her yet." _Oh, you'd be surprised,_ Sinbad chuckled under her breath.

"Well you must have heard about her. What is your impression from what you know?"

The prince of Kou frowned instantly. "I try not to make judgments on people without meeting them."

Sinbad shrugged innocently. _I've dealt with enough so I don't care anymore._ "A wise practice. But you don't strike me as the person who would go into any conversation without being prepared." Hakuei remained silent, his mouth set in a firm line. "You said you were a general, correct? Don't tell me you don't go into a negotiation without learning about the opposing party. You'd do research into any new party who came into the discussion. Hakuei," Sinbad leaned back in her chair, a smile Hakuei recognized as one that were used in political discussions. "I wouldn't insult your intelligence. Please don't insult mine and just answer my question."

 _…Am I being interviewed?_ That seemed Hakuei's only option. Whoever the women was, she obviously was a member of the Sindrian court. Did she see him as a threat to her country? Or perhaps it was to gather information. Obviously his brothers weren't in the mood to discuss anything political, and Hakuei knew he probably showed more of an air of importance anyway. He would be the person to go to for information, and in turn, the person to test for intelligence. If he became the leading general in his country, it was smart to make sure that they knew him. _Well if that's the reason,_ Hakuei concluded. _I may as well let her know what she's up against._

When Hakuei replied Sinbad could point out the instant his attitude changed. He leaned forward into the table, his eyes that were masked with confusion before were narrowed with suspicion and a confidence of being in a familiar situation spread over him. "From what I have heard…most would say that she is a brilliant leader, powerful enough to make her own country and well respected by many."

"Most would say?" Sinbad caught with a quizzical eye.

"There is always more that hides behind the surface, isn't there?" Sinbad's smile was his encouragement. "Overall, I suppose what I noticed the most…

Was that the queen is dangerous."

Sinbad struggled to keep her face impartial while she absorbed the idea. It hadn't been the first time that she had been called dangerous, however most people called her dangerous because of her power or after they'd been tricked by her. It was the first time she had been called dangerous by a stranger. "Oh? I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"Don't you?" Hakuei countered with a raise of his eyebrow. Sinbad remained silent so he went on. "One human with the power not seen in generations. Not only that, but the conqueror of more dungeons than anyone has even tried to conquer. One person who built their own country, who is revered by hundreds around the world. But think about it," Hakuei suggested, leaning back in his chair with his hands resting on the table. "In the books of 'Sinbad's adventures,' where does it discuss her mistakes? When does she mention anything that could be considered a character flaw? Anything that she doesn't go on to fix later that is," he added as an afterthought.

"That kind of person? One who thinks they know the best for all and has the power to prove it is dangerous. Worst of all because there are gaps in those stories. There are trips and tales that have gaps where there should be lines. Pieces of the stories are missing. But a person who thinks they are doing all right doesn't leave gaps. What could motivate a person to leave gaps when they feel their actions are justified?" Sinbad's mouth had tilted up against her will. She'd never purposefully left those clues in her book. She'd never thought anyone would be able to recognize them. And yet he had.

Did that make him a threat? No…

That made him valuable.

"…When they think that even if they did the right thing," Sinbad answered for him. "That the public couldn't handle the truth."

"Of course," Hakuei nodded. "Because what leader can really be great without making a few sacrifices?" His last statement was formed as a question but she knew there was none. Sinbad knew that the only question in his words were _How did I do? Did I pass your test?_

Sinbad's smile was all the affirmation he needed.

"Those are quite the observations," Sinbad purred, allowing the words to roll of her tongue. "You read my-ah, queen Sinbad's books?" Hakuei nodded easily as he took a bite out of the meat that had been brought to them.

"My younger sister Kouha likes the fight scenes," he explained. "When she was younger they helped her go to sleep at night." Sinbad decided his younger sister needed help. "Personally, I am interested in some of them if I had to be honest," Hakuei admitted, sparking Sinbad's pride after he'd effectively dishevelled it. "The books have one of the most intricately detailed documentation of various cultures, as well as the dungeons that only appeared years ago. It was a great help for me when I went to my first dungeon I'll admit."

That information had not been on Sinbad's list. "You conquered a dungeon?" She sputtered. Hakuei blinked in surprise at her reaction.

"Yes. Along with my brother Kougyoku and sisters Kouen, Koumei and Kouha. Hakuryuu has plans to capture one in the future as well," he added as an afterthought but with little enthusiasm. He wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of his sister going into what Kouha had come to nickname 'the castle of despair.' Sinbad on the other hand was taking the information with a sour note. She knew that the Kou Empire had a few dungeon capturer's but she hadn't been aware there were so many of them. Especially not the prince sitting across from her.

Sinbad was beginning to get concerned that she was getting too interested in the prince.

"Have you been to any?"

Sinbad had to shake her head to return to the conversation. "Pardon?"

"To any of the other countries," Hakuei explained, eyes alight with curiosity. "My work as general is often working to make alliances with other cultures. My, ah…" He lowered his eyes, letting his guard down for a moment. "My country specializes in building our conquered countries to be like ours, erasing the culture to make the world one. I agree with the ideology that the world should be one, however I don't think we should all be the same to do it." His eyes lit up once again, the moment of vulnerability washing away. "So what are the other countries like? What country are you from?"

"Oh," Sinbad started, a little surprised by the change in conversation. She'd brought the man over to flirt and yet somehow they were talking about different cultures. "I'm from parthevia?"

"What is it like there?"

Slowly the conversation became one long, ongoing one about different people and places. Sinbad found joy boasting about her travels and accomplishments while keeping in check that the boy not know who she was. Hakuei was fascinated with the subject, constantly asking more questions and trying to get more details. In time Hakuei was able to forget his worries about his brothers and completely engulf himself into the conversation. Sinbad forgot why she had even brought him over as she enjoyed the conversation about her past adventures.

That was, until they were interrupted.

"Hakuei!" Hakuei didn't get the chance to defend himself when he was jumped from behind. Sinbad's eyes widened as a girl with long blond hair circled down her back and gleeful eyes watched Hakuei. Even more surprised, she didn't miss the shot of venom in her eyes when she glared at Sinbad across the table. The look instantly disappeared when she turned to face Hakuei again. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere!"

The prince struggled to keep his control when the women practically choked him with her hug. "I-I was here Thomas…D-do you mind?" Eventually the women released her grip, but instead slid the chair so it was edged slightly away from the table but she slipped around so her back was facing Sinbad.

"Well what are you doing over here silly? You promised me a dance remember?" Sinbad's eyes spotted that the women's hands remained on his shoulders even when he had moved her away. As if they were permanently glued onto him. The feeling of fire down her throat was unfamiliar to Sinbad.

Hakuei eventually was able to catch his breath and focus on the situation. "I did? I'm sorry, I forgot." It didn't take a genius to notice how the women deflated at his reply. "I was talking to…um, my new friend." Hakuei gestured to Sinbad with a smile that said perhaps he couldn't understand what was going on. "This is Thomas. She's an old friend of mine." It didn't escape Sinbad's notice that the women refused to acknowledge Sinbad's presence until it was absolutely necessary. _Ah. So that's the case._

Thomas barely glanced back, glaring at Sinbad as if she was a bug that she'd just crushed under her shoe. "Pleasure." Without another word she turned back to Hakuei effectively cutting Sinbad out of the conversation once again. Sinbad recognized it as trying to make Sinbad appear less important compared to her conversation with Sinbad. "You have to come dancing with me! There's going to be another song starting soon!"

"But we were having a conversation," Hakuei tried to argue. Thomas would hear nothing of it as she tried to drag Hakuei out of his seat and over to the dance floor. Sinbad was vaguely familiar with his feeling of discomfort when Thomas tried to take away his guest. But where ever that feeling came from, she knew what the source was. And she knew she didn't like it.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry about that," Sinbad's words slurred, capturing the attention of the two guests. The ice in the women's glare was pathetic compared to the cocky stare Sinbad sent back. "Hakuei here already has his dance card filled. He promised me all his time for the night." She shrugged, with a smirk directed at Thomas that said she wasn't sorry at all. "I guess he really did forget about you."

The look on Thomas's face was priceless. "That-No, Hakuei would never forget me! Right Hakuei? You promised me a dance, right?" Hakuei stuttered, eyes wide with confusion as his eyes darted from Sinbad to Thomas and back. He must have really forgotten about promising her a dance, but he also knew he hadn't promised Sinbad any dances either.

Good thing that wasn't Sinbad's problem.

"Sorry princess," Sinbad cooed, snatching one of Hakuei's arms and yanking him out of her reach. "If you really are such old friends, I'm sure you'll find another time to steal a dance. For now, my favourite song is coming on." In reality, the song that had started was slow, a one on one dance that was more about intimacy than actual dancing. Of course, that had always been useful when Sinbad was trying to charm a nervous member of royalty to become her tool or give her information.

Hakuei didn't strike Sinbad as someone who had lots of experience with lovers, but she decided that was a part of his charm.

Leaving a dumbfounded, no doubt angry princess behind them, Sinbad stole Hakuei away to the middle of the dance floor. Again, as they passed people stopped their dancing to stare at them. Sinbad could sense Hakuei's agitation under the stares but Sinbad had come to flourish in the attention. Once they were where Sinbad wanted them to be, the middle of the dance floor where everyone could see them, she turned to Hakuei and made sure all his attention was on her. Sinbad nearly laughed at Hakuei's adorable blush when she looked at him. "Relax. Just keep your eyes on me."

After a quick shake of his head, he nodded. Gingerly he put one hand down around her waist while he took her hand with the other. Sinbad sent him a smile while she placed her free hand on his shoulder then began the dance. Sinbad was surprised to find that despite his nerves, Hakuei was actually a very talented dancer. His movements were fluid and controlled, strong enough to support her as she moved. Perhaps he had no experience in romance, but he certainly had a talent for control.

Darn it.

Even when his focus was on the dark haired women, Hakuei could feel the stares of others around them. He couldn't tell what they were watching them for. The women seemed to bloom like a flower under the attention but Hakuei had to take all his focus on not tripping on his feet. It was a good think Hakuryuu had asked him to help her learn to dance when they were younger.

Hakuei started to relax which made Sinbad relieved. However she didn't realize that was because he'd started to change the situation to one he was more accustomed to. Another play with deception and secrets to discover. "…Are you queen Sinbad?"

Sinbad waited until she finished her twirl so she was facing Hakuei again. His blue eyes enraptured hers, the pair staring at each other as if they were the eyes they were meant to stare at forever. "…What do you think?"

"No."

"Really?" her eyebrows raised, giving away nothing but her surprise. "Why not?"

"Because I don't know why the queen would be talking to me if you were her." He spun her around once again before dipping her slightly. Sinbad loved the feeling of her hair floating as he did, but even more enjoyed the blush that came over Hakuei's face when he pulled back and held her closer than he'd meant to.

"Maybe I just find you the most interesting."

"I'm not a suitor."

"I know."

"So the queen should have no reason to talk to me," Hakuei explained. Sinbad frowned, wanting to change the topic back to one more enjoyable.

"What makes you think she cares if you're a suitor or not?" That cause Hakuei to backtrack, rethink his steps. Not physically of course, the dance was almost automatic for him. But he remembered his own suspicions when he'd come to the dance. The books he'd read had repeated over and over again how the queen of Sindria had no use for marriage. He'd respected her reasoning, but had found it suspicious when they had been invited to be suitors.

"…The queen doesn't have much interest in this whole thing, does she?"

Sinbad couldn't tell if he was speaking in third person or if he wasn't sure if he was right or not. "You mean the party?"

"No, the suitors. She wasn't going to pick one, was she?"

The queen nearly lost herself. He really was a clever one, wasn't he? The thought just made her smile even more. "Well…she didn't plan to."

"Why do you say she didn't?" Hakuei asked, a hint of confusion in his eyes. Sinbad paused before answering, trying to figure out what exactly was the perfect thing to say.

Then before Hakuei could move onto the next dance movement, she took her hand out of his. Ignoring his confusion she reached up and wrapped both arms around his neck. His eyes widened in surprise while she took delight in the look on his face. She decided quickly she wanted to spend much longer than one night doing what she could to keep that look of shock on his face. "Because I think I want to keep you here just a bit longer."

"Excuse me?"

Neither of them noticed when the music ended. Neither of them noticed that everyone was staring at them until their footsteps finally slowed. When Hakuei finally looked up he was startled by all the eyes on him. His eyes darted around, scanning the crowd for a familiar face. He caught Thomas staring at him with something along the lines of anger on her face. There were various members of his family, specifically Hakuryuu and Kouha gaping at him with the same confusion he felt. Kougyoku looked like he was still too drunk to really understand what was going on. If Hakuei hadn't been careful not to drink anything other than water, he'd have wondered if he'd drunken something a bit too strong. Hakuei hated the spotlight. She'd grown up in it being the only son of the previous empress and hadn't liked it then either.

He felt one soft hand cup his chin, turning him back to face the women in front of him. Her golden eyes were practically glowing, accustomed to the spotlight and practiced in making it do her bidding. But at the moment her eyes seemed to glow brighter when it was his eyes on her. "You certainly are an interesting boy…" she mused, an idea hiding just on the tip of her lips. Hakuei wasn't sure he wanted to hear it when her mouth curled into a smile. "I think I'm going to keep you around a bit longer. There are a few more things I'd like to know about you."

"Wait…what?" Hakuei could only stand there was the women waved to the side. Instantly the women from earlier with white hair ran over to them, eyes on the taller women expectantly. Hakuei only barely caught her words, ' _You can tell the other countries to send their representatives back. Oh, and prepare a room for our…newest guest._ Hakuei remained dumbfounded as the women hurried away, whispers running through the crowd. "I…Ma'am?" The women turned back to him, eyes the colour of stars as she brightened under his gaze.

"You are staying here."

"I am?"

The women's smile tipped up on one side, confidence exuding from her in waves. That, along with a hint of mischief. Before Hakuei knew what was going on she had reached her hands up one again to wrap around his neck. Except that time, she ran one hand through his hair, tilting his head to face downwards as she forced her lips onto his. His eyes widened as she pulled closer, pressing her mouth into his so he could feel the smile on her face. Hakuei was sure he was blushing when she finally pulled away after what felt like an eternity, a smile still on her now glowing face.

"Yes."

Hakuei couldn't respond. His mouth had dropped open in surprise he was sure the women was happy to see. He barely managed to understand her telling him that servants would bring him to his room in time and he ought to say goodbye to his friends since he wouldn't be seeing them for a while. His eyes were still wide when she sent him a wink before sauntering back into the crowd, disappearing among the members of royalty while keeping track of his eyes on her as she left.

In fact, he wasn't able to move again until Kouha jumped him. "AHH HAKUEI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He barely managed to get her off of him before she set him on fire, anger written all over her features. "That women can take one of my stupid brothers but not you! I said you and Kougyoku were off limits!"

"What are you talking about?" Hakuei asked as Hakuryuu and Kougyoku followed behind. Kougyoku looked stunned but Hakuei shuddered under Hakuryuu's face that held a forming idea and slight glee.

"What are we talking about?" Kougyoku yelled back, slightly louder than normal thanks to the wine in his system. "Brother, don't you know who that was?"

He shook his head. "No. She didn't mention her name." All three of them groaned and shook their heads.

"Brother, you fool!" Hakuryuu chastised him. "That was Queen Sinbad!"

The realization dawned on him in waves of disbelief, comprehension, understanding… "Oh. Oh. OH."

Then realization.

"Ohhhh….."


End file.
